


just gal pals

by arexnna



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, ayeeee, but yeah, like they're still singers, read it and find out, well it's kinda alternate universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-08 10:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 44,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10384494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arexnna/pseuds/arexnna
Summary: 'Pop sensations Camila Cabello and Lauren Jauregui out at dinner! Check out pics from the gal pals' night out!'or the fic where camila and lauren are hella famous separately, then, with the meddling of dinah, become hella famous together





	1. part one

"Girl, could you look _any_ _more_ uncomfortable?"

"Wha-"

Dinah flashes her phone at her, "It looks like you were about to crawl out of your own sk—"

Camila throws her pillow at her friend, stopping her from finishing her sentence. At least she _tries_ to throw it at her. Camila's never been too great with aim.

"That was pathetic," Dinah retorts, flicking her hair in the way only Dinah could execute so perfectly before she turns back to her screen. "But you know I'm right."

"He's not _that_ -"

Dinah glares.

"You right." Camila amends, "I'm just glad there's not going to be anymore live performances or interviews with him. He rubs me the wrong way."

"He'd like to rub you _any_ way."

This time the pillow hits her mark, leaving a very annoyed Dinah in its wake.

" _Gross_."

Since her collab had been released, the tabloids had been fuelled with rumours of her dating the rapper ( _big surprise there!_ ), and it didn't help that he was adding to the fire with his ( _untruthful, might she add_ ) tweets of how some of the more cuddly scenes in the music video were candid. Though as much as interviews with him are awkward, and his comments constantly make her have to actively hide her cringe, _Bad Things_ had become a number one hit, and for that, she couldn't complain.

She should get used to the rumours by now though, given that any person that's caught just looking her way automatically becomes _'Camila Cabello's NEW love interest?!'._ She had to deal with it when it came to Austin, when it came to Shawn, _hell_ , when it came to _Dinah_ even. Though she would take the latter over the other two any day.

" _Ooh_ , _'Lauren Jauregui drops her EP 'Take Me Back' with three tracks',"_ Dinah reads aloud, a snippet of the song plays, with both girls nodding to its beat. "You've met her before, right? She's _hot_."

"She really is," Camila replies all too casually, "Met her for a second at the VMAs, but _damn_ her eyes are _gorgeous._ "

She's not paying enough attention to see the foot Dinah uses to poke at her thigh, "Does Mila have a _wittle cruuush?"_

Camila rolls her eyes, "Oh shut up, I don't even know her. She's just really pretty and talented that's all."

"Good, then you won't mind that I tweeted that."

"Tweeted what?"

"That."

 _"Dinah Jane,_ tweeted _what?"_

She doesn't have the time to actually tell her what the tweet consisted of before Camila is jumping onto Dinah, attacking her with throws of pillow after pillow.

-/-

 **_@camilacabello97:_ ** _@LaurenJauregui just heard your EP and you're so talented and just really pretty and damn_

-/-

 _"Dinah I'm going to_ kill _you!"_

_"I just paraphrased what you said!"_

-/-

 **_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _@camilacabello97 noo, get out!! I'm totally not blushing._

 **_@NormaniKordei:_ ** _@LaurenJauregui @camilacabello97 she totally is. i've never seen this much colour on her pale af face_

-/-

 **_@cabaeyooooo:_ ** _@camilacabello97 @LaurenJauregui COLLAB PLEASE_

 **_@erincabello:_ ** _@camilacabello97 @LaurenJauregui  when's the wedding live stream please_

-/-

"You're an asshole."

"C'mon – I'm helping you here."

"Helping _how?"_

"Well, for one, takes some heat from all those nasty MGK rumours, and now all you gotta do is slide into her DMs," Dinah winks, and she _knows_ she's teasing, but Camila can't help but actually consider it. "Also, who knew she and Normani Kordei were buds," she adds casually, but when she looks up and sees the questioning look on Camila's face, her features grow serious, "Normani... _Normani Kordei_ \- you really- _how_ are you my best friend!"

Then follows a five minute rant that goes along the lines of _'it's like you don't even know me'_ and _'it's like I don't even know YOU'_ , proceeded by a twenty minute session of several series of dance videos featuring and choreographed by Normani herself.

And she's _good_. More than good even. Dinah she'd _die_ if she and Normani would ever work together, and she's never quite seen her best friend-come-dance captain fangirl this hard.

So when the opportunity rises to kill two birds with one stone, she takes it.

-/-

“Hey, Laur.”

“Mmm?” she hums in reply as she scrolls through tumblr.

“What did Camila want?”

 _That_ catches her attention.

“Huh?”

“Her DM?”

“What are you going on about, Mani?”

Normani all but shoves her phone in Lauren’s face, and after she pulls it to a _readable_ distance, she sees:

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _@LaurenJauregui check dm xx_

She practically throws Normani’s phone back to her, opening twitter on her laptop and—

_hey!! I know this is random and all, but really did love your EP, your voice is just **hearteyes** but also are you actually friends with normani kordei?_

The grin that was on her face falls slightly at the mention of her friend – who, as she might add, is staring impatiently at her across the couch – but she allows the benefit of the doubt anyway. _C’mon_ , it’s _Camila Cabello_ in her DMs, for fucks sake.

**_hey! you’re too sweet omfg. but yeah! she’s right here in the studio with me actually. do you wanna talk to her or-?_ **

Not a minute later, another message pops up.

_okay that’s great! can i assume you’re in la too?_

**_yeah… why?_ **

_right well, without sounding weird and stalkerish my bff is kinda mad in love with normani (as a dancer) (but also lowkey as a person probs) and she’s been nagging my ear off about how she’d kill to work with her and i just thought maybe you and i could get them to meet?_

**_oh! of course! but… not that i mind or anything, but why didn’t you just ask normani directly?_ **

_well bc this was the only reason i could come up with to slide into ur dms ofc_

_and maybe we could get them to meet while you and I meet!_

_that okay?_

**_more than okay :)_ **

Lauren gets a kick in the shin to pull her away from her screen, finding an expectant Normani looking back at her.

“So?” she asks, arms folded, “Wanna tell me what’s got you all smiley?”

Lauren shuts her laptop, and hops up from her spot on the couch, a sudden burst of energy that she can’t quite tell where it’s come from. Her friend just scrunches her brows at her, meanwhile Lauren’s grin almost lights up the dim studio.

“ _We_ have dinner tomorrow night.”


	2. part two

_**A/N: ^ what the girls wore to dinner** _

-/-

" _Milaa,_ I am _tired_ from tryna get your clumsy ass in formation. Why do we have to go out _tonight_?"

"Because _I_ always go out with you when you want to – and we _are_ in the car already, you know," Camila points out, but just gets a huff in reply from her friend.

"You didn't even give me time to put on _proper_ clothes. You out here in your bougie ass attire and I just look like a hoe," Dinah pouts, gesturing at her outfit.

Camila rolls her eyes, but reassures her anyway, "You look hot as hell, c'mon."

The remainder of the ride mainly consists of Dinah going on about a new bit of choreo she wants Camila to try out for one of her songs, to which Camila just nods and agrees, because _honestly,_ when it comes to dancing, Dinah knows what's best for her.

But her ramblings stop as the driver pulls up by the restaurant, the curb already swarmed with paps, which can only mean that they must've caught wind that Lauren Jauregui was in the same building.

" _Woah_ , they be movin' fast these days," Dinah comments, but Camila just shrugs.

Their door's opened and they're escorted towards the main doors, the clicking and flashing of the cameras has become so much of a norm in her life that it doesn't quite bother her too much anymore. Her surprise for Dinah is almost perfectly executed until _some_ asshole pap had to yell:

" _Camila! Camila! Are you girls having dinner with Lauren Jauregui too?"_

In the split second after the other singer's name is yelled, she just prays that just like her, Dinah's become accustomed to blocking out the paparazzi, but when she feels her friend's hand tense in hers—

"Did they say _Lauren?"_

If it weren't for Big Rob who continued to usher them into the quiet of the restaurant, Dinah would've probably had a freakout on the street all for the paps to capture.

"Did they—"

" _Cheech."_

Instead of asking again, she scans the room herself, and without even seeing what Dinah was looking at, Camila can pinpoint the exact moment her friend spots them when her eyes widen and her mouth hangs ajar.

"Is that _Normani?!"_

Camila had expected more hugs and kisses and professions of love, but instead, her arm is beaten ruthlessly by Dinah's purse.

" _Hey!"_ she whisper-yells, reminding Dinah they're in a public space.

"You surprise me with meeting my dance idol and you let me dress like _this!"_

Camila just rolls her eyes, but she can't help the laugh that escapes her as her friend continuously complains while being dragged over to the corner the other two girls are settled in.

Lauren and Normani have yet to notice them, seemingly deep in conversation. It allows Camila the time to really get a good look at the other girl without being caught. She sits in the corner seat, her hair let down as with a jacket draped over her shoulders, covering the white dress that is half hidden underneath. She doesn't have too much makeup on, opting for a nude painted lips. In the dim lighting, her eyes seem to illuminate all the more, and even from a far, Camila's enthralled by the green of them.

Dinah's threatening her with a, 'I am going to make you dance an extra five hours tomorrow for letting me meet her lookin' like a hoe,' when she finally catches Lauren's eyes.

(Though, it's more that those eyes catch her. If she could, she'd drown in them.)

"Hey!" she stands up first, making her way around the table, the brightest smile on her prett- on her face. Normani gets up just as Lauren meets Camila in a hug, that she reciprocates easily. "Great to see you again," Lauren says, her voice lower than her initial greeting.

"You too," she replies, unable to help the wide smile stretching across her lips. She turns to introduce her to Dinah, but the girl and Normani are already feeding off of each other, going off on everything and anything all at once. "Well, _they_ hit it off," Camila says and the curve of Lauren's lips agrees with her.

Normani pauses her raving about how much she loved the choreo on Camila's last tour that earns a blush from Dinah to introduce herself ( _"So good to finally meet you, Camila!" "Just call her Mila actually, Camila's so_ boring _," Dinah cuts in)_ , before jumping right back into the previous conversation.

"C'mon, sit next to me," Lauren pats on the seat beside her.

Camila knows that it's purely logistics, only making sense for her to be sat there, unless they'd want to be in the crossfires of Normani and Dinah's dance talk, but still it makes her heart jump.

She doesn't know what it is about Lauren, she barely knows the girl aside from a short meeting at the VMAs and a couple of exchange of texts (they'd moved from twitter to iMessage pretty quickly after agreeing on dinner), but the flutter in her stomach makes Camila feels like she's meeting her celebrity crush.

They fall into conversation just as easily as the other two girls have, the four of them occasionally talking outside of their little two-person bubble to include the whole group, but for the most part, it's Normani and Dinah, and Camila and Lauren. The more they talk, Camila finds herself having more and more things in common with the other singer. She finds out they're both from Florida ( _"Miami?" "Yeeah?" "No way! Me too!"_ ), they have the music taste ( _"Yeah, I watched The 1975 live the other day." "Okay, but that's not fair, I've never been able to be in the same city as them.")_ and choice in literature ( _"You know, I always thought To Kill A Mockingbird was going to be boring and all, but-" "It's_ amazing _isn't it!" "Hands down one of my favourite.")_

By the time the night ends, they're full on overly priced Italian food (when Camila would've been totally fine with ordering a ten dollar take-away pizza), Normani's invited Dinah to cameo in one of her next videos, and Camila's high off the smile that Lauren's been wearing the whole dinner.

" _This_ is why you're my best friend," Dinah says when they're in the car again.

"Really? Not because we've known each other from the start, not because you pushed me into that stupid singing competition, or because I forced you to take the role as my dance captain, or because—"

Camila's effectively shut up when Dinah's hand is plastered over her mouth. "You talk too much, Chancho." She grins as she removes her hand to pull the Latina into a hug. "But seriously, that was like a dream come true," says as a thank you.

"You owe me one," Camila retorts.

"Yeah, cause you totally did that whole thing _only_ for me, and _not_ because you wanted to meet your lil _cruuuush, right?"_

" _Exactly_."

-/-

"Mani?"

Her friend pauses before she reaches for the door.

"Thanks for coming to dinner for me."

"Don't mention it, Laur. Like _seriously,_ don't. I had a great time tonight, Dinah's a pretty cool chick."

At the smirk that grows on Lauren's lips, Normani pushes at her shoulder, rolling her eyes before adding, "You don't get to talk – you were pretty smitten with Mila, too," she taunts in return, wiping the grin straight off her face.

"She's nice and funny. I think she'd be a good friend," Lauren shrugs in defence.

"Yeah, _friend_."

But before she can ask what _exactly_ she meant by that, Normani hops out of the car and shuts the door right behind her, holding up a deuces as a goodbye while she walks into her apartment.

Lauren wants to flip her off, but as the car moves into the road, she feels her phone vibrate.

_camila cabello_

_[10:53pm] did u know we're gal pals_

**_[10:53pm] what?_ **

She sees a link to an article sent her way, something off of E! Online, and when she clicks on it, the title reads: _'Pop sensations Camila Cabello and Lauren Jauregui out at dinner! Check out pics from the gal pals' night out!'_

_[10:54pm] hey gal pal_

**_[10:55pm] hey right back @ you gal pal_ **

_[11:01pm] my twitter's blowing up_

_[11:01pm] they want a collab_

**_[11:02pm] tell them dinah's gonna be in normani's video_ **

_[11:04pm] with ussssss, looooooo_

**_[11:04pm] tell them we'll be background extras in the video_ **

_[11:05pm] i hate you_

**_[11:05pm] ngaw c'mon_ **

**_[11:06pm] cameeeeeeela_ **

**_[11:07pm] camzz_ **

**_[11:07pm] camziii_ **

_[11:08pm] camz?_

**_[11:09pm] y'know, (cam)ila_ **

**_[11:09pm] and an added 'z' because it's cooler_ **

**_[11:09pm] don't like it?_ **

_[11:09pm] nah, just i'm usually called mila is all_

_[11:09pm] i like it tho!!!_

**_[11:09pm] good_ **

**_[11:11pm] but yesss_ **

_[11:11pm] yesss?_

_[11:11pm] to what exactly?_

**_[11:12pm] to a collab!! i've still got a couple songs i'm working on for my album_ **

**_[11:12pm] could do with some verses if you wanted to hop in_ **

_[11:14pm] seriously!!!_

_[11:14pm] o m g_

_[11:14pm] the lauren jauregui is asking me for a collab_

_[11:14pm] mami, i've made it_

**_[11:15pm] firstly, YOU asked for the collab_ **

**_[11:15pm] secondly, you made it the moment you got on that x factor stage lets be honest_ **

_[11:16pm] wait you know about that_

**_[11:16pm] of course I know, I voted for you_ **

_[11:16pm] wait, seriously?_

**_[11:17pm] yeah?_ **

_[11:18pm] okay, give me one second, I'm having a major fangirl/starstruck moment_

**_[11:18pm] hah you're ridiculous_ **

**_[11:25pm] how long is this moment going to last for_ **

**_[11:32pm] ffs camz_ **

**_[11:41pm] ok either you're asleep or super dramatic_ **

**_[12:07am] goodnight you weirdo_ **

_-/-_

_[06:24am] okay, moment's over_

_[06:24am] mornin' gal pal <3 _

-/-


	3. part three

**_lauren j_ **

**_[02:04am] you’re part of my squad now apparently_ **

_[08:23am] what squad_

**_[10:16am] lauren j sent you a link:_ **

_-/-_

“Congratulations on your new EP!” James says as she settles in her seat after meeting him for a hug.

“Thank you,” Lauren replies shyly, her head ducking as she fiddles with her hands. “I’m really proud of it.”

“As you should be! Now, _Take Me Back_ is your second EP after your debut self-titled album in 2014. How much can you say your sound changed from then to now?”

“Well, I _like_ to think that my music’s become more mature, you know? I mean when I released my first album, I was just turning eighteen – I was fresh out of high school and, since then, a lot’s changed. I just hope those younger fans of mine don’t mind the change in voice,” Lauren adds with a flashing smile to the cameras.

Conversation between her and the talk show host carry itself really, especially when most of it were prepared beforehand, and while they hadn’t talked about it in the pre-interview, her PR team had told her to be ready for his next question.

“ _Right_ , so your fans would storm my twitter if I didn’t ask this when I had the chance.” She knows where this is going, so she schools her features to not smile too brightly at the picture of her and Camila walking on the LA streets just the other day. James then pulls out another image, one from that first night, capturing a hug between the two girls with both Dinah and Normani in the background as well. “Is this the formation of a new _squad_?” he asks, “Does Taylor Swift’s group have competition?”

She laughs it off, hoping that it’ll hide her cringe at the use of the word _‘squad’_. “We’ve just recently become friends. She’s honestly the sweetest and nicest person in the world, and it’s really hard to find genuine people in this industry, but she’s _real_. I’m just glad I get to call her a friend,” Lauren smiles, eyes darting back down to her fidgeting fingers.

“She _is_ lovely – she’s been on the show before and we absolutely want her back.” James then turns to the camera, pointing into the lens before he says, “Camila Cabello, if you’re watching this, come back onto _the Late Late Show_ again!”

“I’ll be sure to put in a good word,” Lauren adds.

“But- can we expect a collaboration between the two of you on your album, perhaps?”

She grins coyly at James, “Well, all I can say is: never say never.”

“Well, there you have it ladies and gentlemen! _Lauren Jauregui!”_

-/-

_[01:49pm] sorry was stuck in the studio the whole morning and then some_

_[01:53pm] ew I hate the word ‘squad’ so much_

_[01:53pm] and judging by the look on your face when he said it, you do too_

**_[01:54pm] shit, that obvious?_ **

_[01:54pm] painfully so_

_[01:55pm] also I may or may not be blushing at all the nice things you said about me_

_[01:55pm] did my PR pay you to say them bc I honestly wouldn’t even be mad_

**_[01:56pm] shut up_ **

**_[01:56pm] I said them on my own, with minimal bribery okay_ **

_[01:56pm] hah hah, you suck_

-/-

“ _Geez,_ how many more times are you going to watch that same video? _Pay attention to me_ ,” Dinah whines.

“ _One:_ this is a _different_ interview,” Camila defends, “and _two:_ you’re busy texting Normani _anyway._ ”

“Okay, _fine_ ,” her friend tosses her phone onto the pile of cushions beside her, and Camila follows suit by pausing at the video on YouTube, the frame she’d paused at capturing the perfect smirk on Lauren’s lips, before she shuts her laptop and settles it on the coffee table.

“How’s choreo coming with Mani, though?”

“ _So_ good – filming the video tomorrow, actually!” Dinah adds excitedly, and Camila can’t help but smile at her friend’s happiness. “You should come!”

“But _Cheech_ ,” Camila whines, “it’s my day off tomorr-“

“Lauren’s coming.”

“ _But_ I _guess_ I could drop by to support you!”

-/-

Lauren’s beat from a whole week of interviews and would honestly give anything and everything to be at home with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and a good book, but instead, she’s here on set in swelteringly hot LA, sitting behind the camera watching as her best friend shoots take after take.

The thing is, she would very much be unwinding right now with some Fudge Brownie, if Normani hadn’t said that Camila was coming too. But just as the half hour mark since shooting had begun, the other girl is still a no show. She tries not to show the frown that threatens to appear.

“What’s got you so worried?” she hears from behind her, her lips immediately ticking into a smile at the sound of the voice.

“ _Hey!_ You’re here!” Lauren greets as she pushes herself up from the foldable chair, quickly engulfing the newly arrived Camila in a hug.

“Promised Dinah I’d drop by and support her,” Camila grins, looking over Lauren’s shoulder to send a small wave towards the dancers’ way.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” Lauren says, the words more slipping out than being thought out. “I mean, I was bored out of my mind watching them do the same moves over and over. They’re amazing, but there’s only so many different camera angles they want to try out before I’m losing it,” she explains, but the other girl just smiles.

“Glad I saved you then,” she replies as links their arms together, beaming at her, “Cause you and I are grabbing ice cream.”

“As much as I’m very down for that,” Lauren says, allowing Camila to drag her along as they walk away from set, “What happened to supporting Di?”

Camila’s smile just brightens as she shrugs, “I can support her from a far while cooling down with some ice cream.”

-/-

**_dinah j_ **

_[2:21pm] grabbing some ice cream with lauren, you want anything?_

**_[2:25pm] ayeeee, get it gurl. nah I’m good_ **

-/-

_normani kordei_

**_[2:24pm] camila wanted some ice cream, I’ll brb_ **

_[2:25pm] ooo damn, y’all nasties use protection okay?_

-/-

They both simultaneously roll their eyes at their screens as they wait in line. They’ve not been spotted so far on the way here, and both girls are glad. It’s amazing how far a cap and a pair of good sunglasses disguise you, with Camila sporting them both, while Lauren just goes for some Ray Bans. 

“I’ve got it,” Lauren assures, as the other girl makes a move to pay, flashing the cashier a smile as she hands him a ten-dollar bill. “As repayment for saving me from the heat,” she tells Camila, and as reluctant as she looks, she lets her.

But as they move towards the corner booth, ice creams in hand, they’re stopped by a timid voice.

_“Um, excuse me?”_

When they turn, there stands a girl who looks barely over fourteen, a nervous look on her face as she struggles to find words.

“Hey there,” Camila greets, her voice soft and calming, and Lauren swears she feels herself swoon at the gentleness the girl shows. “How are you, darling?”

“Can I-um, can i-“ the girl stutters out, her hands fidgeting with her phone.

“Do you want a picture with us?” Camila offers, a smile paired with it too, and when the girl nods profusely, after she’s handed her phone to her mother who was standing a little bit away, she settles herself between Camila and Lauren.

Both girls remove their sunglasses, Camila taking it off for it to hang in the V of her shirt while the other pushes it up to hold her hair up. Lauren slings her arm over the shoulder of the girl, resting her cheek on the top of her head when she feels Camila’s hand on the small of her back, and she swears she tries not to tense up at the contact, but Lauren’s shirt is cropped and even with the high waist of her jeans, there leaves a sliver of exposed skin that’s grazed by Camila’s fingers. But Lauren holds it together anyway, trying not to be too flustered over something as simple as that.

Several photos are snapped, and after a couple hundred _‘thank you so much’_ later, they finally settle their way in the booth.

“You were really good with her,” Lauren mentions as she takes her first taste of the salted caramel she’d bought. “You’re a natural with fans.”

“Yeah? Coming from you? You’re like, _amazing_ with your fans!”

Lauren just rolls her eyes, hoping it’ll divert the attention away from the rising blush in her cheeks.

“You and your _chickens_ ,” Camila grins and hearing her imitate Lauren like that only makes Lauren swoon harder.

“And _nuggets_ ,” she adds.

“It’s adorable.”

She’s glad Camila’s focused on her own food, because if not, she’d definitely catch the red in Lauren’s cheeks.

Lauren doesn’t know what she feels for Camila. She barely knows what she feels towards girls, but maybe that’s okay, maybe Camila’s an exception, or maybe not. Again, she hasn’t got a clue what the swooning or blushing for the other girl means. (She has an idea; she just doesn’t want to admit it yet.) They’ve been talking for just two weeks, and yet Lauren would consider Camila to already be in her inner circle. There’s a certain energy to Camila that Lauren gravitates to, and she doesn’t quite see herself trying to get out of its orbit.

“How’s the album coming along?” Camila asks and it pulls Lauren out from her stupor.

“Slow, but good. Pretty happy with it actually.”

“I’m glad,” she flashes her the brightest and most genuine smile.

“Do you want to hear some of it? I mean- it’s still rough, but—“

 _“Yes!”_ Camila cuts her off, her hand shooting out and to touch hers, leaving Lauren to stare at the contact for a pregnant moment before she shakes herself out of it.

“Okay, um,” Lauren starts as she slides out from her side of the booth, moving her way towards Camila’s. “Scoot over,” she orders, and the other girl happily obliges. “Like I said,” she says as she pulls out a pair of earphones, “It’s kind of in the early stages right now.”

“Shut up and let me listen.”

Lauren rolls her eyes as she hands an earpiece to her, searching her phone for the track.

“You ready?”

When Camila nods, Lauren plays.

_So soft and cryptic_

_Oh, while you listen to the music_

_Boy I know you want it so you better get up on it_

_Or you’ll lose it, I’ll prove it_

_Love to watch you try to turn your back to me_

_When I know that any minute you’ll be back to me_

_Back, back, back to me_

The track ends and ‘nervous’ would be an understatement to what Lauren was feeling waiting for Camila’s response.

“ _Lo,”_ Camila starts, the nickname that she’s taken to never failing to make Lauren’s lips twitch into a smile. “I _love_ it. It’s _really_ great. And I love the beat and your _voice_!” Camila raves, and it only works to deepen the red on Lauren’s face.

“ _Okay, Camz_ ,” Lauren tries to calm the other girl down, all the while biting down her growing grin. “You really like it though?” she asks, bumping her shoulder with Camila.

“ _More_ than like it. I can’t wait for your album – you _better_ save me a song for that collab, I’m holding you to that, Jauregui!”

“Yeah, _yeah_ – I’m working on it.”

-/-

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _can’t wait for you to hear what I’ve been working on! It’s really coming together and thanks to a friend, I’m really confident you’ll love it too!_

-/-

_camila cabaello_

_[09:09pm] who’s this friend huh_

_[09:09pm] and i don’t remember saying i LOVED it_

_[09:09pm] i’m pretty sure i said strongly liked_

**_[09:11pm] stfuuuuu_ **

**_[09:11pm] and nope, you said LOVED it. no point denying it cabello, might as well admit to the whole world how much you looooove my music_ **

_[09:11pm] you riteeee_

_[09:11pm] actually, would it be too much if i tweeted how excited i am for your album?_

**_[09:12pm] i was totally kidding about that, buuuut_ **

**_[09:12pm] i don’t mind really. it’s up to you!!_ **

-/-

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _i cannot !! wait !! for !! @laurenjauregui’s !! album !! I heard a lil snippet and y’all aren’t ready for this…_

-/-

_liked by **Lauren Jauregui**_

_-/-_

_camila cabaello_

**_[01:17am] camz?_ **

_[01:17am] hey stranger_

**_[01:18am] shit, yeah it’s been awhile since I’ve replied_ **

**_[01:18am] I’ve just been so busy with writing_ **

**_[01:18am] fuck I’m so sorry_ **

_[01:19am] I was kidding! I’m glad you’re writing tho!!_

_[01:20am] but what’s up, lo?_

**_[01:24am] well I might finally have that song I promised I’d save for you_ **

_[01:24am] yeah?!_

**_[01:26am] yeah I’ve been working on it and I’ve got a baseline and all, but I’ve got an empty slot for a verse if you wanted to hop in on it?_ **

_[01:27am] omg, okay. send it over to me!_

**_[01:35am] check your email xx_ **

-/-

_To: Camila Cabello_

_From: laurenjauregui1@epicrecords.com_

_Subject: try not to be too harsh xx_

_1000 Hands.mp3_

-/-


	4. chapter four

_camila cabello calling…_

“Hey, Camz, what’s u—“

_“Okay, so your track right, when would you need my verse for it? Like I really loved it and I don’t want to seem too eager, so it’d really help me if you gave me a kinda deadline I can work to, you know? I just—“_

“ _Camz,_ you’re rambling,” Lauren cuts in, but there’s no hint of annoyance in her voice. But once the rambles stop, that’s when she can hear the sniffles. “Hey, are you okay?”

_“What?” Sniffle. “Yeah, yeah I’m good.”_

“ _Camila_ ,” Lauren says, dragging the name out warningly. “You sound like you’re either dying of a cold, or in between sobs.”

_“I- oh. No, I’m good, really.”_

“Camila.”

_“It’s stupid.”_

“I bet it’s not.”

_“It’s- it’s uh, your song.”_ Camila finally answers, and it leaves Lauren more confused than before.

“1000 Hands? What about it? _That_ bad, huh—“

“ _Shut_ up _. No I just – I really love it. Your voice sounds amazing on the chorus- everywhere really.”_

See, Camila has this crazy way of being able to make Lauren’s heart flutter like a swarm ( _swarm? What’s a group of butterflies called?)_ of butterflies forced its way down her throat and attacked every organ in her with just the simplest of things. And Lauren _hates_ it. _Well,_ she kind of loves it, but she hates the power Camila has over her to make Lauren a flustering mess with just a few words.

“You mean it?”

_“So much that I… might already have a verse ready for you.”_

“You’re kidding.”

_“See? This is why I asked for a deadline. I_ knew _it made me look way too eager—“_

“ _No!_ That’s amazing,” Lauren reassures the girl from the end of the line. “I’m just overwhelmed that you liked it so much- I mean it’s barely been a day since I sent it over, _hell-“_ she pulls her phone away from her ear to check the time, “-it’s barely even been 12 hours.”

_“Yeaaaah,”_ Camila stretches the word, and Lauren and just imagine how she’d look down at her lap as she says it, _“I might’ve kinda maybe been up the whole night listening to it, and writing out a couple dozen different versions of a verse.”_

Lauren’s grinning so wide now that her cheeks start to burn, but she could not care less, not when Camila Cabello loved her song enough to pull an all-nighter to write a verse for. “You’re adorable.” It kind of just slips out, but in the moment, she can’t be bothered to be embarrassed at the admission. “And crazy. You need _sleep_ ,” Lauren adds teasingly.

_“I really do, but I do have a version I really like and I kinda want to show you.”_

“Then send it!”

_“No! Well,_ yes, _but-“_ Camila starts, and Lauren senses another rambling session about to take place, but instead, she hears a deep breath on the other end of the call, and Camila’s seemed to have gathered herself. _“I mean, I obviously want you to see what I wrote, but I want to be there too when you read it, you know? It’ll be easier for me to sing it to you then and…_ yeah.”

If she didn’t know any better, the other girl was actively trying to kill her. But she did, and Camila’s the sweetest, most harmless person ever, so Lauren just settles on the fact that she’s going to die from unconscious levels of adorable.

“Okay,” she agrees. “Let’s meet in the studio tomorrow?”

_“Why not today?”_ Camila argues, and Lauren just grins at the keenness in the other woman.

“ _Because_ , you’re running on almost zero hours of sleep, and I can’t have that. So I’m not meeting you until you catch some shut eye, Cabello.”

She hears a soft laugh, the same laugh that has Lauren grinning like a fool. _“Yes, mom,”_ she teases back, then comes a yawn. _“Okay, I_ really _should nap- well, sleep right now. I’ll talk to you soon?”_

“Count on it,” Lauren reassures.

_“Bye, Lo.”_

“Night, Camz.”

-/-

If Normani asks what’s got Lauren in such a good mood today, having sushi for lunch is only _half_ the whole truth.


	5. part five

They’ve been in the studio for close to three hours now, both girls feeding off of each other, tweaking the other’s lyrics to make it more suited to the song. After seeing Camila’s initial version of her verse, Lauren couldn’t be happier with who’d she’d chosen to collab with for the song, _not_ that she had any doubts when it came to Camila in the first place.

They’re three hours in, and Camila’s scribbling in her notebook while her free hand busies itself with a bag of chips, settled in the corner of the studio on the couch, a blanket splayed over her lap. Lauren, on the other hand, is reworking the music.

“I don’t know – can we get some strings in this part, or something?”

“Mmm,” her recording engineer nods, “Violins, maybe?” he suggests.

“ _Perfect_ ,” Lauren smiles, before she all but bounds towards where Camila’s snuggled up. “ _How’s_ it going?”

“I scrapped the whole thing.”

“ _What?”_ Lauren jerks back. She’d adored Camila’s part, not quite sure why the other singer had started from scratch. “But I loved it.”

“Then I think you might love this one more.”

Lauren sticks her bottom lip out in a pout, but when Camila taps at her lip with her pen, the pout disappears and a playful grin emerges in its wake. “Hey, Pat?” Lauren turns towards where she’d just come from, the man in question, humming his acknowledgment. “Do you want to take a break or something? You’ve been cooped up in here since before we got here.”

He doesn’t have to be asked twice, grabbing his jacket that was slung over his chair before he’s closing the door behind him.

“Wanna show me?” Lauren pokes at her friend, and after a faux look of hesitancy, Camila’s handing her the notebook.

Her eyes flicker through Camila’s messy handwriting, the words glide as smooth on her tongue as they did on the paper.

“How’s this part go?” she points, and then she’s overcrowded by the very presence of Camila. The smaller girl’s face is next to hers, her eyes trailing over where Lauren points as she reads from over Lauren’s shoulder.

“So it goes:” Camila starts, her voice soft and low, as her breath fans over the side of Lauren’s face.

“ _It’ll be ‘til the end, give me nothing I’ve ever tried_

_It’ll be the perfect sin, something like the truest lie_

_Everywhere somehow, the only place I’ll ever be_

_As long as you hold me down, oh such a liberty,”_ Camila trails off towards the end. She wasn’t even singing it properly, more to show the melody of the words rather than showing off her vocals, and yet Lauren’s not quite sure if she’s ever heard anything quite as beautiful. “Something like that,” Camila then adds, eyes darting down almost bashfully. “Then I guess from there we could go into your pre-chorus, and _yeah_.”

Lauren tilts her head the slightest, just so that she can meet her eyes, “Camz, I love it.” Her lips involuntarily curve upwards at the immediate change of demeanour in Camila, how she just radiates happiness. She sees how her eyes light up, the brown of them seeming to brighten at her words. Camila bites down on her lower lip, almost as though she were trying to supress her smile, and Lauren can’t quite help it when her eyes fall to watch the little act. “I’m thinking we open with this,” Lauren says, cutting their moment short, redirecting Camila’s attentions to the notebook in hand, “then pre-chorus, chorus, then my verse, and pre-chorus, chorus again.”

“You want me to open?”

“Mhm,” Lauren simply hums, before carrying on, “and I think you should sing the second chorus too.”

 _“No_ ,” she refuses and that takes Lauren back.

“ _Why?”_

“Because your voice is just so much nicer for it and—“

“Fine, but how about we harmonize it together?”

“I- I can’t argue with that,” Camila concedes, resting her chin on Lauren’s shoulder, and she playfully nudges her head with her own.

“Exactly,” Lauren smiles, though mostly to herself. “And I was thinking we could finish it up with like a chiller version of the chorus, y’know? Kinda like,

_I just want to feel a thousand, from you_

_A thousand hands from you_

_Just wanna feel a thousand_

_A thousand hands from you,”_ Lauren sings roughly through, “But like slower and softer, maybe, to ease it out?”

Camila doesn’t say anything, so Lauren turns to meet her eyes, finding her staring back.

“Do you know how beautiful your voice is?”

The question catches Lauren off guard. She wasn’t quite expecting for Camila to say anything like that, much less _how_ she said it, her voice quiet, and slow, and genuine.

“And your _mind_ , it’s just – to have come up with these words, I’m kind of in awe of your mind,” Camila adds, eyes continuing to hold hers.

“Yeah?” Lauren’s eyes leave Camila’s only to drop to her lips before meeting them again. “Yours is pretty amazing too,” Lauren says back, watching as Camila’s gaze darts down before looking right back up so quickly that she almost doesn’t catch it. “ _You’re_ pretty amazing.”

She barely realises she’s doing it until she feels Camila’s hair under her own fingers, her thumb grazing against the side of the other girl’s face. She feels Camila lean in, their faces inching closer and closer, lips barely a breath away, but just like every single clichéd romantic comedy, they’re interrupted by the sound of the door being unlocked from the outside. Though, instead of jerking apart, they simply rest their foreheads on the others, eyes fluttering closed as the door opens behind Lauren, Patrick strolling in casually, barely reacting to the position of the two girls before he settles back into his previous spot, continuing to work on the song.

She can feel her breath from the soft laugh Camila lets out playing on her lips, the airy, ticklish feeling causing her to smile back at the girl.

“Let’s go make the hell outta this song,” Lauren says as she pulls away slowly, tucking the stray strands of hair that threaten to curtain Camila’s face. “C’mon,” she says as she pulls Camila up, pushing her towards the recording booth.

“Hey Pat – Camila’s gonna record her part now.”

-/-

 _“Girls! Girls! Are you working on a collab?”_ Camila manages to make that much out among the clicking and flashing and chatter from the rest of the paparazzi that’s swarmed the area between the doors of the building and their respective cars.

It isn’t either of the girls’ first rodeo, knowing to say their goodbyes inside the building itself rather than outside, Lauren only stopping to send a short wave Camila’s way before she steps into her car, the black doors and tinted windows of the SUV effectively hiding the other singer away from prying eyes. Camila’s in her own vehicle less than five seconds after Lauren is, and barely ten seconds after she’s settled in the comfort of her car, she gets a text message from the girl she’d just said goodbye to.

**_[08:18pm] we were totally going to kiss weren’t we_ **

_That,_ Camila did not quite expect when she’d opened the message. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t smile at the words, though.

_[08:20pm] I mean, I was making a move on you_

_[08:20pm] just depended on whether you were going to reciprocate_

**_[08:21pm] are you kidding?_ **

**_[08:21pm] have you seen those lips?_ **

**_[08:21pm] how can I not reciprocate?_ **

Camila would never admit to squealing at Lauren’s reply, instead saying that she’d seen a cute video of a dog when her driver had asked.

_[08:23pm] quite the smooth talker, Jauregui_

_[08:23pm] we’ll have to test out how much of it is just talk the next time though_

**_[08:23pm] NEXT TIME_ **

**_[08:23pm] YOU GOT ME BLUSHING CABELLO WTF_ **

**_[08:23pm] why are you so SMOOTH ON TEXT_ **

_[08:23pm] honey, I’m smooth everywhere_

**_[08:24pm] pfft yeah sure_ **

**_[08:26pm] wait, I don’t know if you meant that like_ **

**_[08:26pm] ‘I’m smooth on all mediums of communication’_ **

**_[08:26pm] or like_ **

**_[08:26pm] ‘I’m literally SMOOTH_ **

**_[08:26pm] EVERYWHERE’_ **

_[08:32pm] hang around, and you’ll find out._

_[08:32pm]_ ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**_[08:41pm] don’t_ ** **_¯\\_(_ ** **_ツ_ ** **_)_/¯ me!!_ **

**_[08:41pm] who do you think you are!!!_ **

_[09:11pm] xoxo, goodnight_

**_[09:12pm] goodnight?!? It’s NINE PM_ **

**_[09:30pm] wow you’re committed to this huh_ **

**_[10:49pm] ugh fine_ **

**_[10:51pm] gnight loser_ **


	6. part six

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _hi guys check out this video for me please and give it all the love it deserves!! youtu.be/qPjKtEiBGAQ_

**_NormaniKordei_ ** _and **DinahJane** retweeted_

_-/-_

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _ehhh, apparently my friends are great dancers or something. I don’t see it? youtu.be/qPjKtEiBGAQ_

**_@NormaniKordei:_ ** _@LaurenJauregui sorry you’re blind to beauty_


	7. part seven

If Camila thought that things would get awkward between the girls after the almost-kiss and the texts proceeding it, it doesn’t. Her and Lauren hang out more than ever, and messages are constantly being exchanged between the two when they’re not.

In just under a month, Lauren Jauregui had gone from amazingly talented star, to amazingly talented star who also happens to be one of Camila Cabello’s best friends, and (unadmittedly) she’d be forever grateful to Dinah for typing out that very first tweet.

They’re now in the end stages of production of the collaboration, and Camila can’t help but have a bounce in her step at the very thought of it. Between her and their combined fans, Camila isn’t sure who’s more excited. (Probably her, since the fans are still being kept in the dark about the track.)

(Which, speaking of—)

“Mila.”

“Yeah?”

“When are you going to come out to the fans?”

Camila’s eyes dart up to Ally, pure confusion must be evident on her face when Ally adds slower, “About the Lauren thing?”

“Uh?”

There’s a whirlwind of emotions clashing against each other within her. For one, she’s terribly confused (in more ways than just one) as to how Ally would know that there’s something going on between her and Lauren, not that anything had even _happened_ between them aside from the one missed opportunity. Another thing entirely, how did Ally even know Camila had any _coming out_ to do?

Then with just three words, the drumming in her chest quiets:

“About 1000 Hands?”

“ _Oh._ Oh right,” she sighs relieved, Ally now staring at her with furrowed brows. She forgets that while Ally is only a couple years older than her, she's far more mature than her years, and so her choice of words are more alike to Camila's mother's than to Camila's. “We- uh, we haven’t really talked about when we were going to tell them.”

“Well, it’s going to drop soon, right?” Ally asks instead of pestering on the subject. And when Camila nods, she adds, “Maybe post a selfie of the two of you in the studio when you go back and just drop a date. That’ll be enough promo for the track really.”

She nods again, “Right, I’ll go talk to Lauren about it.”

Ally smiles at that, “Get ready for makeup in 15, okay?” she adds, typing away at her phone as she does.

Camila groans at that.

_“Mila,”_ Ally warns.

But she doesn’t give in, a petulant pout playing at her lips. “You _promised_ the other day that Fallon would be our last performance together.”

“Well,” Ally reasons, “when Colbert asks for you, I’d be pretty bad at my job if I turned that down. Get ready, yeah?” she says, squeezing Camila’s shoulder as she grabs the last of her things before she heads out from the room

The thought of another performance, faking the _‘undeniable chemistry’_ , sickens Camila, but then she remembers that tomorrow, she’s seeing Lauren again, and her mood takes a total 180. She barely has to search for Lauren’s contact in her phone, it being in the top three of her recently called under _Dinah_ and _Mami_.

Barely even four seconds after the first dial tone, Lauren’s voice is greeting her on the other end.

“Hey, right back,” Camila smiles – not that anyone can see, just that Lauren’s voice in itself elicits that type of response. “Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”

“ _Nah, needed a break from writing anyway.”_

“What’re you working on right now?”

_“Track nine,”_ Lauren says vaguely, Camila rolling her eyes at that. _“Don’t roll your eyes_ ,” Lauren scolds.

“Did not.”

_“I can tell when you do, don’t bother lying,”_ she says, and Camila can practically _hear_ the smile on Lauren’s face.

“Well, you’re keeping me in suspense by just referring to your songs as _‘track nine’_ or _‘track two’_ ,” Camila defends, her voice dropping lower in a sad attempt to imitate Lauren’s.

_“I don’t sound like that_.”

“Yeah, you don’t – you make raspy sound sexy.” Honestly, Camila doesn’t know where most of her forwardness comes from, something in Lauren just brings it out from her. So, when Lauren remains quiet on the other end, Camila teases with a faux scolding, “Don’t blush.”

_“Did not.”_

But Camila just laughs, finally deciding to bring up her main reason for calling in the first place, “So, Ally asked me to do a little promo about the track the next time we’re in the studio since it’s almost done anyway.”

_“Ally?”_ Lauren’s raspy voice sounds confused.

“Oh- my PR guy- gal- friend. My PR person,” Camila amends. “Also another one of my best friends. Weird that you still haven’t met her,” she adds as an afterthought.

Lauren just chuckles on the other end at Camila’s rambling antics. _“Sure, what’d she suggest?”_

“Just that we post a selfie and caption the date we’re dropping it.”

_“Sounds easy enough,”_ Lauren says, and Camila can just imagine the shrug she probably makes as she says it. _“The fans are going to blow up our everythings when they see the post.”_

“Yeah, I’m kinda bracing myself for that.”

_“Should be fun. Maybe we can tease them with some snapchats?”_

“You’re trying to kill them, aren’t you?”

_“Hey,” Lauren starts, and Camila can picture the smile she has on, “We’re allowed some fun.”_ Camila’s about to scold her for playing with the fans hearts like that when Lauren then adds, _“Oh, and my guys kinda let some people from the AMAs listen to 1000 Hands, and they want us to do a debut live performance at the award show next month. That okay?”_

“I-“ she starts but a stutter leaves her sentence hanging. She wants to so easily say _yeah! It’d be great to perform live with you!_ But she’s freaking out and she doesn’t know how to produce a _‘yes’_ without worrying Lauren. “Y- _yeah._ ”

“ _Camz?”_ Worry creeps into her voice. _“Are you okay?”_

“I- _yeah_. I just—“

_“Camz, you can tell me-“_

“Hey, I- I’ve got to go,” Camila interrupts abruptly, adding, “I’ll talk to you later okay?”

The other girl barely manages to get out a _‘Alright then, by—‘_ before Camila ends the call, leaving Lauren way more confused than she’d expected to be when she’d initially answered it.

She and Camila may not know each other for too long, but Lauren knows her well enough to know not to push at the subject, simply allowing for Camila to talk to her when she’s ready. It doesn’t mean that giving Camila space doesn’t pain Lauren, her thoughts jumping to the worst possible conclusions at Camila’s reaction to talk of a live performance.

Still, Lauren, pushes those voices to the back of her mind, focusing more on a track she’s been busy writing the lyrics for. It feels like hours pass, when barely a half hour goes by, but inspiration is lacking, and she’s dragging herself out of her studio room, turning off the lights behind her as she makes her way towards her kitchen. She grabs whatever leftovers she has in her fridge, some extra Chinese food from the other night when Normani was over. Lauren isn’t much of a chef, and when isn’t absolutely needed, would never voluntarily attempt to make a meal for herself.

So, after reheating her dinner in the microwave, she trudges her way to the living area, where she settles cross-legged on the couch. Vacantly, she flips through the channels, her attention more focused on poking at her food, impatiently waiting for it to cool down to an edible temperature. She’s just switching from channel to channel when she hears a voice she knows all too well.

_-matter what you do_

_I only want to do bad things to you_

_So good, that you can’t explain it_

_What can I say it’s complicated_

She’s entranced by the other girl, to say the least. There she stands, hands holding the mic as she sings with her eyes closed, dressed in all black, an outfit that works wonders to show off her tanned legs. Then when those doe, brown eyes stare right into the lens of the camera, Lauren can’t help but feel as though it was just her and Camila, never mind the screen coming between them and the couple other million people tuning it at the same time. But she’s pulled immediately out of her trance when the next verse kicks in, when the rap starts.

Lauren visibly cringes when MGK steps into Camila’s space as he does his verse, her body willing herself to tear her eyes away from the screen when Camila plays off it. She understands it’s a _performance,_ herself knowing first-hand how much of it is choreographed into seeming as natural as possible. She _also_ understands that even _if_ it weren’t just a performance, that if it was _more_ than just an act, she isn’t in the place to feel jeal- _whatever_ she’s feeling.

But still, she’s a masochist, forcing herself to sit through the song in its entirety. A million and one thoughts wage a war in her head. For one, she’s wondering if Camila acting off on their call has anything to do with this performance. The other thing nibbling at her, while she usually isn’t one to believe rumours, is whether Camila and this _Machine Gun Kelly_ guy ( _Lauren tries to say without contempt in her voice_ ) are or _have been_ a thing. It’s irrational really of her, but with the grinding on each other being rubbed in her face, Lauren can’t help but wonder.

She’s even tempted to ask Dinah, but that could only lead to Dinah telling Camila, and that’s the last thing she wants. So Lauren’s left sulking through the night, only hoping that she’d get some answers tomorrow.

-/-

**_@girlposts:_ ** _me when bae is with someone else but isn't bae yet so_

**_Lauren Jauregui_ ** _liked_


	8. part eight

"Surprise, surprise, you're late."

Patrick teases when Lauren drops her bag on the seat next to him, having just arrived in the studio.

She had a long night last night. Sudden inspiration to write coming early into the morning, and no, it had nothing to do with a particular performance or anything. But not even her rough night can explain her tardiness, she's just- she's never quite on time, (often to the dismay of her tour managers).

Lauren rolls her eyes and fakes a laugh. "I'm not that late. Camila's still not here," she adds in defence.

"Actually," she hears, and when Lauren finds the source of the voice, Camila's standing behind her by the door, a smug smile on her face, "I've been here for the last half hour. You took so long that I needed to pee already."

When Lauren turns to Patrick for confirmation, he nods, agreeing, earning a huff from her.

"Fine," she concedes, "I may have been a little late."

Camila just lets out an airy laugh, moving to meet them at the recording panel. "How's the track going, Pat?" she asks, with the sweetest smile on her face.

"Well," he starts, "as promised, it's done," he grins back up at her, Camila letting out an unexpected squeal at that. "How about we listen before we scream, huh?" he offers, and that only makes her grin grow wider.

As Camila clutches at Lauren's arm with her own when the song starts, all her worries from the night before dissipates, at the moment, all she's concerned about is Camila being next to her.

As the track plays, Lauren couldn't be more pleased, greatly satisfied with the final product of their efforts and the fact that she has Camila standing by her side.

And once song fades out, she's jumping around like a child on Christmas day and Lauren can't stop the smile that grows as she watches the other girl's excitement. Then Lauren's almost suffocated as strong arms engulf her, Camila pulling her into a tight hug as she continues to squeal. And as much as Lauren wants to shut Camila up because she isn't quite ready to lose her hearing at the young age of 20, she can't find it in herself to put a stop to her joy.

"We made that," Camila grins at her after she pulls away, her hands remain squeezing Lauren's arms though.

"It's basically our baby," Lauren says, and she's mostly joking, but she genuinely is proud of what they've created.

The other girl smiles at that, then she adds, "First of many," and Lauren swears her heart swells a tenfold at that. She's staring blatantly and shamelessly at Camila, memorising every different brown hue in her eyes, noticing every stray strand of hair that's fallen from her messily-tied hair, oblivious to everything besides them that she doesn't even see the other girl pull out her phone.

But when she hears the familiar clicking sound of a camera, Lauren's forced out of her trance, her attention brought to the picture Camila's now looking at on her screen.

"You look so cute," Camila flashes her phone towards her, a proud grin on her face as she shows off the image.

The moment that Lauren's unabashedly looking at Camila, practically a personification of the hearteyes emoji, is captured on the screen. She'd feel completely embarrassed for being caught red handed if it were anyone else, but Camila seems to be oblivious to the look Lauren gives her, simply playing with different filters.

"Noo," Lauren whines, "don't post that one," she begs with a pout, reasoning that, "You're working all your angles and I'm not even looking at the camera."

Camila considers her for a moment, but eventually she gives in, sticking out her phone again as she says, "Fine, but I'm keeping this still."

"Okay," Lauren grins, turning to the camera, but unsatisfied with the angle, takes it into her own hands (literally), and grabs the phone herself, positioning it to her pleasing. Camila scoffs at the act, but when Lauren shushes her, muttering a countdown, she manages a pose at the last second. "There - now we're both working our angles," she says smugly as she hands the phone back.

"Not me," Patrick interrupts, and both Camila and Lauren scoff and roll their eyes at the same time. He pushes himself up, reaching for his jacket, "Taking a break," he announces, "I'm too sick of this room, because unlike some people," he directs at Lauren, "I've been here for ages."

"Get outta here," Lauren pushes lightly at him towards the door.

Meanwhile, Camila's writing out a caption for Instagram, Lauren noticing the girl bites at her bottom lip as she crafts it out.

"There!" she exclaims after a minute of pure focus etched onto her brow. She points her phone proudly at Lauren.

"'...y'all ain't ready #110516' - seriously?"

"What?" she frowns looking over the post again.

"You took like three whole minutes to write that?"

"Yeaah."

"You're ridiculous," Lauren grins, her hand moving to squish at Camila's cheeks, the frown being replaced for a goofy grin. "Send it to me first, then we'll post it together."

Camila nods, smiling as she does before she makes her way towards the couch, landing unceremoniously on the pillows as she fiddles with her phone. A moment later, she hears a ding from her phone, the image attached in the message.

Lauren types out a caption before she tells Camila to post hers up, making her way over to join the other girl where she's sitting.

"They're going crazy," Camila notes, vaguely showing Lauren as she scrolls through her mentions on Twitter, looking more than pleased at the fan response.

"I think we murdered some of them."

But Camila just grins at that, looking more pleased than guilty. And if Lauren were being honest, the feeling was mutual. She couldn't be happier with the tweets and comments they were getting, her mentions an overload of 'I KNEW IT's among others. She's smiling down at her phone, going through the (mostly, there's always going to be a hater to anything) ravenous response the mention of a collab between her and Camila receives. And then of course, her smile turns into a slight frown when her eyes are caught especially to a certain tweet.

 **@justjared:** VIDEO: @machinegunkelly and @camilacabello97 bring the heat on Colbert last night!: jus.tj/onh

And as easily as Camila had turned her foul mood around with a smile here and there, it comes back just as easily at the reminder of the prior night. And as well as she tries to hide it away, not wanting to take the joy away from their song, Camila takes notice of how Lauren moves - even if just an inch - away from her.

"They're so cute," she mentions, filling up the silence that was once comfortable. "Look," she shows Lauren her phone, but the girl barely forces on a smile.

Camila lets it be for a whole four minutes (yes, she counted), before she confronts Lauren about her distancing behaviour.

"Lo, what's going on?"

"Hm?" she hums, playing it off coolly as her eyes continue to stare at her Twitter feed.

Camila bumps her shoulder against the other girl's, a growing frown on her lips as Lauren continues to be unresponsive. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Lauren turns then, flashing a false smile before she turns right back.

"Hey," Camila starts, her hand finding Lauren's knee, thumb rubbing at the skin there. She sees how Lauren's eyes dart from her screen to the touch, watching as Camila continues to graze her fingers over the leg. "What's up?" she presses, eyes seeking hers out, and that seems to break Lauren's resolve.

"I- It's stupid," Lauren shakes her head, her attention remaining where Camila's hands are.

"I bet it's not," Camila reiterates Lauren's same response once upon a time, gentle smile on her lips as she tries to coax an answer out of the other girl.

She seems to remember saying the same thing as well, the (genuine) grin that appears telling her so. "Really, it's-"

"Laureeen," Camila whines, squeezing at her leg, "I promise it's not."

She seems to cave then, her mouth hesitantly opening and closing, opening and closing before, "Istheresomethinggoingonbetweenyouandthatdude?"

"What?"

Lauren looks embarrassed more than anything, hiding the rising blush behind the curtain of her hair, and that's when Camila reaches out to tuck the loose strands behind her ear.

"Fine," she huffs, then more slowly, more clearly, she repeats, "Is there something going on between you and uh... y'know."

Realisation hits Camila and two separate emotions rush through her. One, annoyance at the reminder of last night's performance and the fact that management's attempts to fuel dating rumours between her and the rapper is working. She hates that management is probably eating this up, 'Camila Cabello and another love interest!!', yet another headline they'd be pleased at. But then the second bit of emotion comes in, which is pure unadulterated smugness.

Lauren was jealous.

Of him.

Because of Camila.

Lauren was jealous, and Camila couldn't help the smirk on her lips. Of all people, she should know how fuelling dating rumours are used to build up gossip and image, and yet, here Lauren is, her jealousy almost as green as her eyes over last night's performance. And as much as she hates the fact that she had to perform with him again, acting as though they're more than professionally friendly, she's thoroughly enjoying the reaction she elicits from Lauren.

"I told you it was stupid," she murmurs, and Camila's forced out of her smug thoughts.

"Hey, no!" Camila reassures, "First, it's not stupid - it just means the stupid PR stunt is working, and second, that's all it is - a stupid PR stunt," she explains as she pulls Lauren's hand into her own. "I can barely stand the guy. The jokes he makes are high key misogynistic."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Lauren smiles, eyes meeting hers for the first time in what seems like forever.

"And it'd be hard for me to like him."

A furrow appears on Lauren's brow as she questions, "Why's that?"

Because I'm gay. Gay, gay, gay. The kind of 'I want to scream it off the top of buildings' kind of gay. Because I'm not attracted to guys and why would I be when girls are just so much more beautiful? Because how could I be attracted to guys when girls like you exist?

"He's just not my type, you know?" she answers, instead.

"Oh," Lauren shrugs, thinking nothing more of it, and Camila's glad for it. But then she adds, "So, he has nothing to do with why you were acting so off on the phone last night?"

Right. She'd completely forgotten about that, hoping that Lauren had too.

"Oh, um, no that had nothing to do with it," she replies, biting at her bottom lip.

"Camz," It's Lauren's turn now to try pry an answer out of her. "Why did you sound like you'd rather give up pizza for a year than perform with me?" Her tone is light, but Camila can sense the underlining seriousness in her question, and that gets Camila to answer.

"It's- I- okay, this actually is stupid." But at Lauren's pointed look, Camila sighs, caving and finally saying, "I'm nervous to perform with you."

When confusion etches itself on Lauren's face, Camila adds, "I just- I've only ever had to perform with people I can at best be civil with, and it freaks me out to perform with someone I genuinely like, and what if I mess it up? Our first live debut is at the AMAs for God's sake! I'm just terrifi-"

But then she feels something on her lips and that shuts Camila right up.

Lauren's got her hand clutched over Camila's mouth, effectively putting a halt to her rambling.

"Listen," she presses, "You're an amazing performer and you're going to be amazing up there. And if you can be that good with people you don't like, think about how good you'll be with me," she grins. "And you've performed at the AMAs before! While, I haven't - so I should be the one freaking out, not you, okay?"

Lauren feels Camila's lips curve against her palm, and a smile reveals itself as Lauren pulls her hand away, only making her mirror the act.

"Okay," Camila answers, biting at her lip as if to repress the grin. "And you're going to be great, I know it."

"You're right, I am," Lauren flashes a cocky smirk as she flips her hair. She hops up from the couch just in time as Pat comes back in. "Play us the song again, I've got some snapchatters to drive crazy."

-/-

**_@camila_cabello:_ ** _...y'all ain't ready #110516_

**_@laurenjauregui:_ ** _we've got a lil something something in store for you. #110516_


	9. part nine

 

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _are you guys as excited for tomorrow as camz is for the food to arrive? #1000Hands_

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _@LaurenJauregui I was NOT excited to try sushi, I only went because you dragged me! :(_

-/-               

**_@cabellostan1999:_ ** _@camilacabello97 did u rly not like sushi? 25 #askcamila_

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _@cabellostan1999 actually… it wasn’t that bad… just don’t tell lauren!_

-/-

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _#1000Hands out at midnight tonight pacific time got us like…_

__

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _@camilacabello97 DID YOU REALLY AHVE TO USE THAT PIC!! IT’S SO OLD I WAS STILL A BRUNETTE FFS_

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _@LaurenJauregui u a cute brunette tho_

-/-

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _t-minus one hour… #1000Hands_

**_Camila Cabello_ ** _retweeted_

-/-

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _….aaaaaaand IT’S OUT! itun.es/us/zYneDx_

__

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _listen to this and I’ll give you my first born. itun.es/us/zYneDx_

__  


-/-

**_@NormaniKordei:_ ** _check out my babes’ new track on itunes, spotify, apple music, tidal, eVERYWHERE #1000Hands_

**_Lauren Jauregui_ ** _and **Camila Cabello** retweeted_

-/-

**_@dinahjane97:_ ** _listen to Mila KILL it and Lauser mediocrely bring it on #1000Hands!!!_

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _@dinahjane97 boiii, bye_

-/-

**_@dinahjane97:_ ** _okay Mila is glaring at me so… *listen to Mila AND Lauser mediocrely bring it on #1000Hands!!!_

**_Lauren Jauregui and NormaniKordei_ ** _liked_

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _@dinahjane97 okay~ no celebratory pizza for you_

**_@NormaniKordei:_ ** _@camilacabello97 @dinahjane97 how about me?_

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _@NormaniKordei @camilacabello97 @dinahjane97 and MEE_

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _@LaurenJauregui @NormaniKordei anything for the two of you <3 just not @dinahjane97_

**_@dinahjane97:_ ** ___

-/-

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _ONE MILLION OF YOU ON SPOTIFY!!! AHHH my heart is dying. Also, would really like to see how camz is going to give all one million of you her first born…_

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _@LaurenJauregui DID NOT THINK THAT THRU but OMG A MILLION!!!!_

-/-

**_@LaurenJauregui:_ ** _if you guys thought we were done… tune in Nov. 20 for the AMAs for #1000Hands debut live performance!_

**_Camila Cabello_ ** _retweeted_

-/-

She’s not quite sure who hugs who really, just that when she sees Camila walking towards her, they’re both quickening their pace before they’re both caught in a tight embrace, engulfed by the others’ arms. They hold each other for longer than usual, their bodies swaying in sync of each other, her face buried in the crook of Camila’s neck breathing in the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, while Camila returns the favour.

When they finally pull apart, it’s because an interrupting cough snaps them out of the little bubble they’d happily been caught up in. Dinah stares at Lauren, eyebrow arched and arms crossed, her attempt to school her features failing miserably when her _threatening_ look breaks into the goofiest grin that Lauren returns as she jumps into a hug with the taller girl.

“Missed ya, Lauser,” Dinah greets when they break away from each other, planting a wet kiss onto her cheek that Lauren wipes away the moment Dinah’s attentions are diverted to Normani who was busy catching up with Camila. _“ManiBear!”_ she all but squeals, the two of them meeting in a playful hug, barely wasting any time before they’re going off about some choreography or something about Beyoncé or _God knows what_.

Lauren finds her arm linked with Camila as she attempts to decipher Normani and Dinah’s conversation, but when the younger girl leans her head against Lauren’s shoulder, she can’t find herself to care about what the other two girls are talking about.

“Can’t believe I haven’t seen you since the song dropped,” Camila murmurs, squeezing at Lauren’s arm as she does. “I missed you,” she adds, softer this time.

For some reason, the way she says it and the way Dinah had said it don’t sound, nor make her _feel_ the same way. Dinah’s _‘missed ya’_ made her grin, Camila’s _‘I missed you’_ makes Lauren never want to _stop_ grinning. Dinah’s version is playful, but Camila’s wakes the thousand butterflies in Lauren’s stomach.

“I missed you too, Camz,” Lauren reiterates, turning her head to press a kiss to the crown of her head. “How was Miami?”

“It was great, got to see my family and Sofi’s getting _so_ big – I forgot how much I miss it.”

“Yeah? I really want to meet Sofi, I’ve heard way too much about her.”

“Maybe we’ll both go back to Miami together and you can meet her – she’s heard _a lot_ about you too.” Lauren can’t help but smile at that, a swell of pride saying that she’s important enough to Camila to be a topic of conversation between her and Sofi, who’s undoubtedly the most important person to Camila, rises in Lauren’s chest. “My parents really liked the song, by the way.”

“I can’t believe we did it,” she says as Camila’s arms move to wrap themselves around Lauren’s waist, pulling them that much closer.

“Made it to Top 20,” Camila grins up at her proudly, and Lauren can’t help but mirror the smile as she gazes down at her. “And we have the AMAs in just over a week-“

_“Which_ is _why_ I’m putting a stop to this lovefest and whipping your asses into work!” Dinah’s booming voice makes the two girls jump apart, Normani clearly entertained with it, barely able to hold back her laugh at the sight of their shock. The light demeanour to Dinah is gone, replaced with a more authoritative side of the girl that Lauren’s never quite seen before. “Now, Camila’s stretched and warmed up so I’ll talk her through the choreo first, meanwhile,” she turns to Normani, “you help Lauren stretch and everything,” her words more an order than an asking, “Then,” she adds, “we get down to business.”

Camila mouths a _‘Good luck_ ,’ to Lauren, the smug grin that flirts at her lips tells Lauren that she’s not going to enjoy rehearsals with Dinah too much.

-/-

She was right.

Dinah outside of the dance studio is loud, goofy and fun. Dinah inside the studio is exactly the opposite. Well, she keeps the loud trait, because how else could she manage to yell at Lauren being soft, right?

The thing is, the song isn’t even _fast_ , barely warranting the extensive workout Dinah puts Lauren through. _Yes, Lauren, singular._ Camila was exempted from the torture, and so when she comes out of rehearsals she’s mentally placed Dinah on top of her kill list. The grin Camila wears is not shared with Lauren, not when she was definitely in on Dinah’s scheme to put Lauren through hell.

“I hate you.”

“To be fair, she _is_ like that for my usual performances.”

“Which _is_ fair, when you’re singing _fast, pop_ songs,” she enunciates, sending Camila a hard glare, the girl only smiles brightly back, before slinging her arm over Lauren’s shoulder. Usually, she’d continue playing the _‘I’m mad at you act’_ and shrug the arm off of her, but she can’t be bothered to, not when it’s Camila surrounding her.

Camila’s thoroughly enjoying today. After what was far too long away from Lauren, the promise of spending their day together adds a jump in Camila’s step, and watching Lauren suffer by Dinah’s doing had only lightened her mood. She feels Lauren give in, her obvious attempt at playing the _‘I’m still mad’_ act failing as she snakes her arm around Camila’s waist as they cross the threshold of the building. She isn’t even bothered by the mass of paps waiting out for them.

_“Girls! How’s rehearsals going?”_

_“Are you ready to perform at the AMAs for the first time?”_

_“Camilla! What do you have to say about the rumours of you and Machine Gun Kelly?”_ One guy calls out, and Camila’s more annoyed by the question rather than the mispronunciation of her name, far too used to that by now, so when she hears _“It’s Ca-mee-la!”_ being yelled back, she’s more surprised than anything. She looks to her side to find Lauren glaring down at the pap who’d said it, the hand Lauren hold at Camila’s waist tightens and there’s a flutter in her stomach that she feels at Lauren’s possessive and protective nature. She’s ushered quicker towards the car, Lauren guiding them through the paparazzi, her free arm used to shield their faces from flashing cameras.

They slide into the back of the vehicle, the door closing behind Lauren when she hops in after Camila, the both of them slumping against the leather of the seats.

Lauren looks beautiful like this. She’s leaning against the back of the seat, her hair a dishevelled, dark mess atop her head, eyes shut as she regains composure, skin still slightly flushed from their rehearsal ( _her_ workout). She doesn’t have an ounce of makeup on her face, and yet the girl glows brighter than any highlighter could do justice, the natural look bringing out more of Lauren’s aura. She must feel Camila’s eyes on her, because when hers reopen, their gazes meet immediately. Camila doesn’t bother averting her stare, not worried of being caught looking; Lauren is a piece of art that Camila cannot tear her eyes off of.

“You’re cute when you’re being all protective.”

The flush already in Lauren’s cheeks deepen red, the other girl suddenly flustered at Camila’s compliment.

“You do know I’m used to the whole _‘Camilla CabeLLo’_ thing right,” she says, pressing at the wrong parts of her name on purpose.

Lauren simply shrugs, “Well, you shouldn’t – _Camila Cabello_ is such a pretty name and it’d be a shame for it to be mispronounced.”

She doesn’t know how Lauren manages to turn something like her _name_ into something that makes Camila swoon. She doesn’t know how she does it, but she hopes she never stops.

“ _Plus,_ ” Lauren continues, “I couldn’t really deny the MGK rumours, so I had to tell that pap off _some_ how.”

“ _And_ you’re cute when you’re _possessive_.”

The eye contact that they held breaks when Lauren’s eyes dart to her lap, obvious embarrassment clear on her face.

Meanwhile, the car’s been at a halt for the past few minutes, and when Lauren asks the driver what’s happening, Derek informs her that traffic’s slow and they’re just going to have to wait it out.

“Looks like we’re going to be here awhile,” she turns to Camila who shrugs with nonchalance, moving to lay herself across the seats, head resting in Lauren’s lap just as casually.

It’s unsurprisingly comfortable having Camila lay on her. Lauren’s hand finds its way to Camila’s head, fingers grazing through the silk of her hair. Camila’s eyes flutter shut, relaxed at the feeling of Lauren playing with the smooth brunette strands, and as Lauren looks down at the younger girl, she can’t help but wonder what her lips taste like.

So she asks:

“Camila?”

She hums out her response.

“Your lips look really soft.”

Her eyes reopen, almost in slow motion, large, brown irises gaze into green ones. “Yeah?” Camila’s tongue darts out – perhaps subconsciously – to lick at her bottom lip, and Lauren swears she has to hold herself back from diving down and pressing their mouths together there and then.

“Mhm,” she nods, afraid to say more in case her words fail her.

“You should find out for yourself.”

If Lauren weren’t so entranced by her lips, her eyes, by _her_ , she’d likely have a minor heart attack at the words Camila’s just muttered, but she’s too taken by the girl, her brain barely functioning enough to fully process what she’d said. So Lauren just nods.

The hand that was playing with Camila’s hair trails its way down the side of her face, fingers finding themselves pulling Camila’s chin up, tilting her face more towards Lauren. If her mind wasn’t in so much of a mess, she’d overthink the whole thing – _what it’ll mean; what’s going to happen after; if this was just a one-time thing; and on and on and on_ – but the power Camila has over Lauren throws all caution into the wind, and before she realises it, Lauren’s lips are descending to touch themselves to Camila’s.

Her lips _are_ soft, _softer_ even than she’d ever imagined. Camila tastes sweet, the chapstick she’d applied after rehearsals leaving a lingering cherry essence. Their kiss is slow, lips moving in tandem, noses brushing each other’s through the awkward angle, but when Camila’s hand finds the back of Lauren’s neck, pulling her all that much deeper into the kiss, there’s a sense of urgency added.

Camila’s the one to open her mouth, her tongue poking at the seam of Lauren’s lips, trying to prod its way in and Lauren willingly grants her permission. At the touch of their tongues, an accidental moan is elicited on Lauren’s part, but it only makes the hold Camila has on her tighten, pulling her even closer, if even physically possible. Camila seems to be actively trying to get Lauren to reprise the moan, shamelessly sucking Lauren’s bottom lip into her mouth, and when the repeat sound falls from Lauren, she can _feel_ Camila’s smile against her own lips.

The younger girl seems to be enjoying it too much, so Lauren turns the tables- at least she _attempts_ to. Just as Lauren forcefully tilts Camila’s face away from her, just as she leaves the girl’s neck open for invitation, just as Lauren trails her kisses over Camila’s defined jawline, making her way into leaving a mark on the skin of her neck- a honk from a car outside breaks them apart, Lauren reacting rather urgently as she pulls Camila’s body off her lap, hurriedly fixing her body to cross her legs and arms, facing anywhere as long as away from the other girl.

It’s apparently the car in front of them – a dude with serious road rage, his impatience showing when he continuously honks because the car before him didn’t start moving the _second_ the light had turned green.

Meanwhile, Lauren’s doing everything to hide the blush in her cheeks – not that her tangled hair and swollen lips aren’t already enough of a giveaway – trying to sneak a peek over at Derek, who doesn’t seem bothered by the commotion in the seats behind, his ever stoic look remaining intact as his eyes stay trained on the road ahead.

Lauren’s has her hand over her face, embarrassment of the feeling of getting caught making her face feel hot (though this could arguably also be from the make out session that had gone down a minute ago), when she hears a burst of laughter. Slowly, she peeks at Camila, the girl unable to control her giggles, and while Lauren has absolutely no idea what’s got her reacting that way, a smile grows on Lauren’s lips at the sight of it. Even a laughing mess, Camila looks as gorgeous as ever. The hair Lauren’s fingers were tangled in is a mess, her lips red and kissed, the shirt she wears hangs loosely on her frame, exposing the girl’s naked shoulder.

(Until now, Lauren didn’t know she could ever be attracted to a _shoulder,_ but to be fair until Camila, Lauren didn’t know she could ever be attracted to a _lot_ – like the girl’s stupid jokes, or her voice when she calls out _‘Lolo’_ , or the way Camila sticks her tongue out when she’s been interrupted, or _girls_ in the first place.)

“You look like a mess,” Camila finally says once her laughter dies down. She reaches over, combs her fingers through Lauren’s hair in attempt to make the girl look at least a bit more presentable.

“You’re not any better,” Lauren retorts, leaning over to pull the shirt back over her shoulder, only for it to fall once more.

Camila’s hand trails over Lauren’s face, cupping at her jaw as her thumb rubs at her cheek. “You’re really beautiful,” she says as if it’s a fact, her voice soft and gentle and yet so concrete.

“Coming from the person who just called me a mess?” Lauren deflects, unsure how to respond to something like that, to something _said_ like that.

“Yeah, well you’re a beautiful mess, then.”

Lauren doesn’t even have to think of a response to that, not when Camila’s leaning in again, pressing her lips once more to Lauren’s. It’s sweet and soft and it’s- _it’s over_.

Just as she lets herself soak in the kiss, Camila’s pulling away again.

She sends Lauren an unashamed grin, and Lauren’s just about to wipe it off her lips with another kiss when Camila taps at Lauren’s cheek with the fingers that held her face a second ago. Lauren definitely wasn’t expecting that, but what Camila says next is definitely not a surprise.

“I’m ordering pizza for when we get to your place since I know you can’t cook for shit, so, what do you want?” she asks, already dialling the number on her phone (she’s pretty sure _Domino’s_ was put under _Favourites_ on her caller list, above everyone including Dinah, _Mami_ , _Papi,_ and – _she notices, a smile growing at the sight of it_ – Lauren.

“I’ll just have some of yours,” Lauren says through a smile that Camila doesn’t notice, not when she’s focused with the love of her life – being pizza, that is.

“ _Nuh uh,”_ she disagrees. “I could eat a horse right now. I’ll just order two Hawaiians then.”

The girl is ridiculous. An absolute goof. But those are just two other traits that Lauren never realised she could ever be attracted to.

And yet, here she is.

-/-

Things are… _comfortable_.

Oddly comfortable.

Camila’s lounging on the couch, pizza in one hand, remote in the other as she searches through Netflix – has been doing so for the last fifteen minutes, coming up with too many reasons why _not_ to watch her _own_ suggestions. Lauren’s busying herself with the wine, taking much longer than needed if honest. Sitting there with Camila left Lauren’s brain way too clouded, the very scent of the other girl making her head hurt.

Lauren doesn’t know if what she feels for the girl is just a crush, or more than that, unsure even more of where they stand after their kiss, ( _Their kiss – the very thought of it makes Lauren giddy_ ), which speaking of, _hasn’t_ been spoken of. Camila’s just as casual as before, there’s no awkward distance between them, and there’s no increase in intimacy – not that it’s needed, the two girls were already pretty close as it was.

And as much as Lauren is glad Camila’s not freaking out over their shared moment, _Lauren’s_ freaking out that there is no freak out. A million and one thoughts wage a war in her mind. What if the kiss doesn’t mean as much to Camila as it does to Lauren? What if Camila’s just the type to kiss her friends? What if Lauren’s reading way too much into something she shouldn’t?

She doesn’t know what she wants. Lauren’s never been the relationship type, never liked the idea of being tied to one person. She knows she likes Camila though, _a lot_ , but whether she’s ready to be called her girlfriend, or to be calling Camila her ‘girlfriend’ is another matter. Labels scare Lauren and she—

Camila’s voice brings Lauren back into reality, snapping her out of her inner-debate as when she says, “Jauregui, get your cute butt back here, I need cuddles.”

Camila doesn’t see the smile on Lauren’s face at her words. By the time Lauren comes into her view, she’s wearing a teasing smirk as she replies, “You’re just using me for my body.”

“That,” Camila agrees playfully, “and the wine,” she grins as she takes the glass from Lauren’s hand.

“Should’ve known,” Lauren plays along, settling next to Camila as she takes a sip of the wine from her own glass.

Camila places her own on the coffee table before them, then plucking Lauren’s from her own hand and does the same. Lauren just kind of goes with it, because _c’mon_ , it’s Camila – the girl could do whatever she wanted and Lauren would just follow. And that’s exactly what she does when Camila pulls Lauren into laying on top of her, the younger Latina’s arms wrapping themselves around Lauren’s waist, back to Camila’s front as Lauren tucks her head in the crook of Camila’s neck.

They settle on some shitty romcom that Camila had decided on, one that neither girl pay attention to, not when they’re too busy catching up on the week they spent apart. Conversation flows as easy as it normally does, but the thought of the _kiss_ nibbles at the back of Lauren’s mind.

Camila must be able to tell something’s bothering Lauren, because after a pregnant pause, Camila’s voice comes by Lauren’s ear, soft and whispered as she asks, “Are you okay?”

Lauren turns her head, her eyes immediately finding Camila’s lips, and just as she’s thinking of all the possible consequences of her just leaning in and pressing a kiss to Camila’s mouth, Camila does it herself.

It’s short and chaste, but it leaves Lauren smiling anyway.

“What’s wrong?” she prods.

She considers deflecting, avoiding the subject in its entirety, but with Camila’s doe eyes staring into hers, she’s just left more frustrated than ever with her lack of restraint when it comes to the girl.

“ _That’s_ what’s wrong,” she confesses and Camila’s brows furrow. “ _This_ ,” she gestures between them, “ _Us._ ”

Camila pulls back, sitting straighter, in the process making Lauren sit up.

“I just – what’s happening here?”

“What do you want to happen?”

“I- I don’t know what I want. Just- how are you so _chill_ with all this? Cause, I _like_ you and if you want something _chill_ , something _casual_ , I really don’t think-“

Camila cuts her off with another kiss to her lips, and when they pull away her face is cupped gently by Camila’s hands. “I don’t want _casual_. I _like_ you too,” Camila confesses and Lauren swears she feels her heart soar at the simple words.

“So you _don’t_ just go around kissing your friends or anything?” Lauren asks, her voice timid.

Camila laughs at that, “ _No_ , I only kiss people I like, and I don’t usually like a lot of people.”

“But you like me.”

“But I like you,” she confirms. 

“So, you _kiss_ me.”

“So, I kiss you,” she nods agreeing. “I mean- what _do_ you want- do you want like a relations—“

“ _No,”_ Lauren replies a little too hasty she realises at Camila’s slight frown, “I mean, it’s not that I don’t _want_ that with you, but _fuck Camz,_ I didn’t even know I wasn’t _straight_ until you came around- I just- jumping into a relationship right now is a little overwhelming. _Plus_ , the fans and the media – I don’t know if I’m even ready to come out to my family, much less them.”

Understanding seems to cross over Camila’s face as she nods, tongue darting out to lick at her lips. “I get it,” she replies, “Hell, I’ve known I was gay for way, way longer and the only person who knows is Dinah. Wait, so you _do_ want casual?” Confusion etches its way back onto her brow.

“I- _not really_ …” Lauren drags on.

“Lo, you’re going to have to give me _something_ ,” she presses, but her tone remains light, matched with the smile she wears. “I like you, but if you want to just stay friends right now, I really don’t mind.”

“It’s not that,” Lauren shakes her head, “I don’t want to be _just_ friends with you, I want more, but not a _relationship_ more, you know? Maybe we just kiss when we want to kiss, and hold hands when we want to hold hands, and go on dates when we want to, but we just don’t put a label on it. Just, stay _lowkey_ , you know?”

“ _Okay_ ,” she nods, then adding, “Would we… be exclusive?”

“I guess not,” Lauren answers, and Camila almost feels her heart drop to her stomach. “I mean I won’t be mad if you go out with other people, but-“

“I don’t _want_ to go out with other people, though,” Camila clarifies.

“Neither do I,” Lauren smiles, “I’m just saying, that _if_ we do, you know, we can’t be jealous or anything,” she shrugs.

“Okay,” Camila nods hesitantly. She doesn’t like the idea of seeing Lauren with other people, but that sounds a lot like jealousy, which is only warranted in a relationship, a.k.a something Lauren clearly doesn’t want. So she smiles through her reluctance, agreeing anyway.

By the smile on Lauren’s face, she’s happy, and to Camila, that’s all that matters.

She relaxes back into the couch, pulling Lauren back with her. On the screen, the leads are having a date by the beach.

“I miss that,” Lauren mentions, “You know, sun on my skin, sand between my toes.”

“I’ll take you then,” Camila says, “when we’re in Miami. Just the two of us,” she adds, pressing a kiss to Lauren’s temple, “maybe it can be one of our dates.”

Lauren turns, a smile radiating, “I’d like that, Camz.”

-/-


	10. part ten

_A thousand hands from you_

_Just wanna feel a thousand_

_A thousand hands from you_

_Feel a- blah blah blah for youuu_

Lauren trails off on the last line, the final verse sung quickly through, ending their sound check session before they stage crew get back onto the platform to shift around the mic stands for the next set.

“We sounded great,” Lauren grins at Camila, “We’re going to kill it tonight, Camz,” she adds, taking Camila’s hand into hers, giving it a soft squeeze.

Camila wants to dispute the compliment, a _‘you’re going to sound great’_ just on the tip of her tongue, but she bites at it, knowing that Lauren hates when Camila puts herself down. So instead, she smiles back at her, rubbing her thumb against the back of Lauren’s hand. “Are you still not going to show me what you’re wearing tonight?” she diverts, not wanting to stay on the subject too long, scared her nerves for tonight’s performance will show.

“ _Nope,_ ” she says, popping at the _‘p’,_ eyes twinkling mischievously as she does. “If my fans have to wait and see, you do too.”

“ _Hey,_ doesn’t it make a difference that I’m like your _biggest_ fan?”

“You’re cute,” Lauren replies, “But _no._ ”

The familiar sound of an alarm rings out, though it mutes when Lauren swipes at her phone screen. “ _Shit.”_

“What’s up?”

“I’ve got to go rush to the airport to pick up my friend,” she explains, taking back her hand to type away at her phone.

Camila frowns, Lauren had said they could grab lunch after the sound check, but she bites on her lip, not wanting to make her feel guilty for bailing. “You should go!” Camila encourages, pushing lightly at Lauren’s shoulder in the direction of the door.

“Yeah, I better,” Lauren nods, tucking her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. “I can’t wait for you to meet her tonight actually,” she mentions, but Camila’s brow just furrows at that. She doesn’t remember making plans with Lauren outside of actually going and performing at the AMAs.

“When?”

“I guess we’ll catch you sometime during the red carpet or between commercial breaks?” she shrugs.

“Oh,” it clicks. She’s bringing her friend ( _emphasis on friend_ , _hopefully_ ) to the AMAs, as her- her date, or her plus one, or her something. Camila hadn’t actually even thought of asking Lauren who she was bringing, figuring she was either taking Normani or a family member, like Camila herself. “Yeah, I can’t wait to meet her,” she forces on as casual as she can. Lucky for her, Camila’s dabbled in acting a couple of times, so a faux smile comes easily.

Camila walks her halfway to the door when she bids her goodbye, just about to turn to where she’d left all her things by the wall, but she feels her body jerk back, and Lauren’s familiar lips press a kiss to hers.

“I’ll see you later, okay?”

Just like that, Camila’s worries and jealousies ( _yeah, she_ knows, _‘no being jealous’, but what Lauren doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?_ ) disappear. Lauren’s able to turn Camila’s mood around with the simplest of things – with her kiss, with her smile, with her laugh, _anything_.

“Okay, Lo,” she smiles, this one coming naturally. The curve on her lip only continues to grow as she watches the other girl walk away. As much as she hates seeing her leave, that _ass_ really makes watching her go a lot easier. She waits for the door to shut behind Lauren before she means to make a move towards her own things, but when the sound of the heavy door closing shut echoes through the space, a loud, unexpected yell does too.

_“What was THAT?”_

Camila jumps at the voice, turning to find Dinah with her eyes blown wide and her mouth practically hanging. Camila was supposed to be the one in shock, but there stands Dinah with a face that looks like its seen a ghost.

“What?”

“Don’t _‘what?’_ me, missy,” Dinah scolds, marching her way over to Camila, grabbing at her arm before she pulls her towards the side, away from the centre of the space. “ _Explain_.”

Camila strongly considers denying everything - Lauren _did_ say lowkey – but Dinah is her best friend, and as much as the girl can never keep a secret, if the situation calls for it, Dinah’s lips are like a locked box. So she confesses.

“We might be a _thing_ now, I guess.”

“A _thing_? You _guess?”_ she presses, arching a brow at her.

“I mean, we make out now – like we’re not in a relationship, we’re not _exclusive_ , but we kiss and we hold hands and we do _stuff—“_ Dinah gives off an exaggerated disgusted look, that Camila rolls her eyes to, “Not _that_ kind of stuff.”

By the look on Dinah’s face, she doesn’t believe the last part of Camila’s confession, but she continues with the interrogation anyway, “ _Okay_ – when did this start?”

“Well, I guess-“ Camila thinks back, prodding at her memories, “A week now?”

There’s a sudden pain springing in Camila’s arm, Dinah having punched her at that, “ _What the fuck, Di?!”_ Camila scolds, rubbing at her arm in attempt to soothe the pain.

“One _week_ and you didn’t tell me?” Dinah crosses her arms, not even an ounce of guilt on her face. “You deserved that.”

“Lauren wanted it ‘ _lowkey_ ’ _,”_ Camila quotes, trying not to let her tone reveal too much of how she feels about the whole situation. But Dinah knows her better than she knows herself, so when understanding crosses her features, she knows what she’s in for.

“ _Mila,”_ Dinah’s voice is soft and comforting, a hint of pity there that Camila can’t help but resent – she doesn’t _need_ anyone’s sympathy. “I’m guessing Lauser’s the one who’s keeping it unexclusive?” When Camila nods, she’s being pulled into the taller girl’s arms, easily accepting the embrace as she wraps her arms around Dinah’s body in return. “ _Oh babe._ ”

“And she kind of just blew a lunch date off because she had to pick up a _friend_ at the airport, a _friend_ that she’s bringing as her date tonight,” Camila adds, trying her best not to let her words drip in resentment. “And I’m not even allowed to be jealous,” she mentions, quieter this time, eyes darting down as she does.

“What? Of course you’re allowed to feel-“

“We made a deal that our _thing_ meant that we couldn’t get mad or jealous if the other person’s out with another person – you know the whole not-exclusive thing,” Camila mumbles out an explanation.

“That’s stupid- you can’t _control_ jealousy, it’s not exactly a rational emotion,” Dinah grumbles out.

“Yeah, but whatever – I trust that it’s just a friend. She did say she didn’t know she wasn’t straight until me, so-“

“ _Damn, mami_. You should be proud to be her sexual awakening,” Dinah comments, the suggestive look on her face helping to lighten Camila’s mood. “But, yeah don’t worry about her friend. Ralph might say she doesn’t want to be exclusive, but the way she looks at you tells me she doesn’t want anyone else either.”

That’s all Camila has to hear to be convinced, a shy smile playing at the edge of her lips at Dinah’s words. “Where would I be without you?” she asks, pulling her friend back in for a hug, nestling her head in the crook of Dinah’s neck.

“Lost,” Dinah says, and while Camila can’t see her face, she knows the girl is grinning, “and probably still straight. We all know _I_ was _your_ sexual awakening.”

Camila rolls her eyes as she pulls away, “Yeah, cause at the age of eleven, I saw you with your _impeccable_ style and thought, _damn, boys are gross, imma get me some pussy_.”

Dinah scrunches up her face at that, “You nasty, girl. But _no_ , once puberty kicked in, I’m sure you were like _aye mami, Cheech is hella hot,_ and then- _rainbows,”_ she says, emphasising the last part while wiggling her fingers.

“Is that really how you think gayness happens?”

“You never know,” Dinah shrugs casually. “But whatever, since your girl ditched you, _we’re_ out for lunch. Grab your stuff, we’re going out for some Mexican.”

She’s already walking away when Camila yells out, “ _Taco Bell is_ not _proper Mexican,”_ clearly not caring, not when she flips Camila off, not bothering to turn to do it even.

-/-

**_[01:21pm] shit I’m so sorry I completely forgot about lunch and totally double booked you with picking up lucy_ **

**_[01:21pm] and I didn’t even remember bailing on you_ **

**_[01:21pm] I’ll make it up to you. dinner tomorrow?_ **

_[01:25pm] hey! it’s no biggie, I kinda guessed as much that it slipped your mind but it’s cool!_

_[01:25pm] Dinah wanted to go out anyway, so it’s chill_

**_[01:26pm] are you sure? I feel terrible_ **

_[01:26pm] only thing you should feel bad about is that I’m being forced to eat a sorry excuse of a Mexican meal thanks to Di_

**_[01:26pm] taco bell?_ **

_[01:27pm] yeppp_

**_[01:27pm] okay now I really feel bad_ **

**_[01:33pm] camzzz?_ **

_[01:34pm] sorry, Dinah said no phones, but she’s off on hers now so_

_[01:34pm] where are you now? at the airport yet?_

**_[01:34pm] it’s ok. yeah, waiting in the carpark for her, she should be out soon_ **

_[01:35pm] not gonna wait for her at the gate with flowers and a cute sign or anything?_

**_[01:36pm] ew gross, that’s way too couply_ **

**_[01:36pm] I’m only even picking her up because she’s cheap and didn’t want to pay for a cab, but since she did fly all the way here for me_ **

**_[01:36pm] least I could do I guess_ **

_[01:37pm] wow you’re like the sweetest friend ever_

_[01:37pm] * read dripping with sarcasm btw *_

_[01:37pm] at least now I know who NOT to call when I need to be picked up from the airport_

**_[01:38pm] stfu canola_ **

**_[01:38pm] but I’d totally pick you up from the airport_ **

**_[01:38pm] I’ll wait at the gate with a huge ass teddy bear, and like ten bouquets of flowers, and the biggest sign that reads something cheesy like ‘cuban with a booty’_ **

_[01:39pm] ok before I even say how cute everything else you said is, do u even know what ‘cheesy’ means…_

_[01:39pm] but aww, lolo’s such a romantic at heart_

**_[01:40pm] er no, I’m no romantic. i’m a tough gal ok_ **

_[01:41pm] whatever helps you sleep at night babe_

**_[01:41pm] you help me sleep at night_ **

**_[01:43pm] ok lucy’s here, I gtg._ **

**_[01:43pm] hope I didn’t scare you off with ^^ but I’ll ttyl_ **

**_[01:44pm] and dinner tomorrow! yes or noo_ **

_[01:50pm] nope, didn’t scare me off. just proves that lolo is a romantic at heart_

_[01:50pm] ok you two have fun. ttyl_

_[01:51pm] and dinner with you? then always yes_

_-/-_

 


	11. part eleven

**_[03:26pm] what are you wearing?_ **

_[03:30pm] what are you? a horny teenage boy?_

**_[03:31pm] come on_ **

**_[03:31pm] gimme a little sneak peek_ **

**_[03:31pm] send me a pic_ **

_[03:32pm] nope._

**_[03:32pm] :(_ **

_[03:33pm] I’ll give you a hint tho_

**_[03:33pm] ???_ **

**_[03:36pm] waiting for my hint camzzzzz_ **

**_[03:38pm] camilaaaaaaa cabellooooo_ **

_[03:40pm] there’s a lot of skin_

**_[03:41pm] fml_ **

**_[03:41pm] how much is ‘a lot’_ **

**_[03:42pm] like plunging neck line with hella cleavage_ **

**_[03:42pm] or are we talking leg kinda skin?_ **

**_[03:42pm] or are you pulling a rihanna and bedazzling your body with Swarovski crystals_ **

**_[03:42pm] because I’d be 100% down for that_ **

**_[03:42pm] 10000000% down for that_ **

**_[03:43pm] camzz_ **

**_[03:43pm] babe_ **

**_[03:43pm] camila (whatever your middle name is) cabello_ **

**_[03:43pm] you’re a tease_ **

_[03:50pm] now you know how I feel <3 xoxo _

_[03:55pm] and camila is my middle name_

**_[03:55pm] wait what? then what’s your first name?_ **

_[03:56pm] you’ll find out in due time babe xx_

_[03:56pm] see you later, lauren michelle jauregui_


	12. part twelve

Camila’s fidgeting. She does it when she’s nervous, and that’s exactly what she is right now. They’re less than ten minutes away from the venue, and she’s half dreading the award show in its entirety. A part of her is really excited for being nominated as best collaboration for _Bad_ _Things_ , but the other part rolls her eyes, thinking of how she’d have to accept the award with MGK himself. A separate side of her keeps reminding her of Lauren and her plus one, the thought then leads her to thinking about the performance, and that just adds more nerves- which further increases the fidgeting.

“Mija, stop shaking your leg,” her mother chides, smacking lightly at Camila’s knee.

“ _Lo siento, mami_ ,” she apologises, fixing at her dress as gracefully as she can manage in the space of the back of the car.

“Why are you so nervous anyway?”

“It’s just the performance, you know? And I’m nominated as well, but mostly the performance. I know I perform a lot, but this is different, you know? It’s like—“

“Different when you actually _like_ the person you’re performing with.”

“ _Sí_ , but—wait, _what?”_

Camila’s heart falls to her stomach. She’s pretty sure she hears the splash of it into the remaining of their sorry excuse of a Mexican lunch at her mother’s words.

“Karla, you won’t stop going on about her. _Lauren this, Lauren that, Lauren, Lauren, Lauren._ I’d be more surprised if you _didn’t_ like her.”

“I mean,” Camila starts, unsure really where she’s headed. Her mother had said she knows that Camila likes Lauren, but _like_ could just be in a friendly way couldn’t it? This doesn’t mean her mother _knew_ about her or anything. “Of course I like her, she’s a great friend and—“

“ _Mija_ , your father and I have known you didn’t like boys for a while.”

_Whoops._ There it is.

“I- Mami, I’m _sor—“_

Her mother turns her face towards her, one hand cupping at her jaw while the other squeezes at Camila’s hand. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. You’ve done nothing wrong. We support whoever you like or love, all we care about is that no matter who they are, they don’t break your heart, because you, Mila, have a beautiful heart, and I’d hate to see it shattered.”

Of all the different scenes she’d played out in her head of the moment she’d come out to her mother, none of them ended ( _or started_ ) like this. There’s a rush of emotion that runs through her, and she’s barely able to control her sob when it comes.

“I love you, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, I was so _scared_.”

“Mija, no crying,” her mother smiles, reaching for her purse, pulling out a Kleenex that she uses to dab the emerging tears from running down her cheeks. “We wouldn’t want to ruin your make up,” she says softly. “You’re my baby, Karla, you should know that I would love you no matter what.”

Her mother’s attempt to stop her from crying only makes it worse, more and more tears threatening to fall. “Mami, you’re the best,” she smiles, pressing a kiss to her mother’s cheek. She takes a moment to regain her composure, seeing ahead that they’re already approaching red carpet.

“You’re going to be great out there, mija,” Sinu squeezes at Camila’s hand and sends her a proud smile.

For once, she believes it, because if she could come out to her mother ( _or if her mother could pull her out_ ), she’s sure she can do anything.

-/-

The smile she wears as the cameras flash, as the photographers call out her name from every other side, for once is genuine. She’s more than elated, the events that had taken place in the car earlier with her mother keeping her grinning. She probably looks giddy, the smile on her lips not quite matching the sultry feel her dress gives off, but she can’t quite be bothered.

Ally’s ushering Camila towards where the interviewers are, and she kind of just follows, far too happy to really care what’s happening. She gets the same generic questions: _‘Are you excited to perform tonight?’, ‘Who are you wearing?’, ‘Who’s your date tonight?’, ‘Do you think you’ll win for Best Collab?’,_ and so on. And her answers remain the same: _‘Yeah, I can’t wait to take the stage, I’m really looking forwards to performing with Lauren,’ ‘It’s Alexandre Vauthier – I was just so in love with the cutting and the look of it,’ ‘My mami, of course,’_ and _‘I can only hope.’_

Eventually, she finds her way to where the people from _E! News_ are, recognizing the interviewer as Giuliana Rancic who gestures for Camila to step into the view of their cameras.

“Camila Cabello!” she greets, leaning in for a hug that Camila returns. “How’s the night been so far?”

“ _So_ fun,” Camila answers, “Everyone looks so gorgeous tonight,” she mentions, taking a sweep of the area, familiar faces everywhere busying themselves with their own interviews or with being photographed.

“And you brought your mom as your date!” she says, gesturing at her mother who was waiting idly behind Camila, as she’d done for most of the other interviews.

Camila then pulls her mother into the frame, scooting closer to Giuliana so Sinu has space. “I usually take my best friend, but Mami was in town, so, she’s my date,” she grins at her mother, linking their arms together.

“You must be so proud of your daughter, Mrs. Cabello!”

Her mother turns to her, smile on her lips as she says, “I’m proud of everything she does, as long as it makes her happy, then I will be too.”

She knows what her mother’s referring to, of course, it only making her blush, ducking her face away from the direct view of the camera.

Giuliana’s cooed _‘Aww’_ brings Camila’s attention back, then (not too) subtly, she redirects the interview: “So, your collab with Lauren Jauregui! It’s too bad it wasn’t released earlier, because I’m sure it would’ve been nominated tonight.”

“If it had been nominated, it’s mostly through Lauren’s doing, really. She had most of it ready, and she just let me hop on because I was begging her for a collab,” Camila confesses. “I did write my verse, but everything else was the genius of her,” she smiles fondly thinking about the girl.

“You girls’ friendship is _to die for_ , by the way.”

“Yeah, we just started talking through twitter, and then—“

“Speak of the devil!” the interviewer interrupts her, and in the next second she feels a soft hand squeeze at the naked skin of her waist, the very scent that surrounds her confirms her suspicions as to whom the hands belong to.

She hears a soft _‘hey’_ being whispered in her ear, that raspy voice that never fails to make her weak at the knees, before Lauren steps into her peripheral, inching her way between Camila and Giuliana.

Camila’s mother taps on her hand, indicating that she’ll leave them to it, before she slips away to the back, allowing for Camila to make some space for Lauren.

“We were literally _just_ talking about you!” Giuliana mentions.

“Good things, I hope,” Lauren turns to Camila and smiles at her.

She looks… ‘beautiful’ seems inadequate to the art that is Lauren. Her hair is tied up in a bun, but she lets her fringe fall loosely. The eyeliner she wears only works to enhance the colour in her eyes, the green of it something Camila could easily get lost in. Her lips are painted in a nude tint, and between them and her eyes, Camila cannot quite decide where she wants her gaze to stay.

Eventually, she reminds herself that they’re in the middle of an interview, and if she stared any harder, she’d be sure twitter would blow up with various implications – implications that wouldn’t be too far off from the truth, however.

“I was just talking about how you were obsessed with me on twitter and basically forced me to meet up with you,” Camila teases easily.

Giuliana interrupts with a professionally faked laugh, “Camila was talking about your collab,” she corrects.

“Yeah?” Lauren hums, “Did she tell you how much of a pain it was to work with her? All she wanted to do was eat pizza,” the girl rolls her eyes playfully.

_Cue another faked laugh_. “Okay, but down to serious business: Can we expect another collaboration between the two of you, maybe on your next album?” she asks, turning to Camila.

“You never know,” Camila shrugs. She was advised to keep a mysterious air to her next album, which was easy, given that they’ve barely started on it. _It’s good for press,_ Ally had told her. “As annoying as Lauren is,” she bumps her shoulder against the girl, “I love her music and her voice, and I love working with her even more – so, if it were up to me, she’d be on every song of my next album, but Jauregui here would probably get sick of me by then.”

She doesn’t need to turn to know Lauren’s wearing a soft grin at Camila’s words. She’s just about to reply when they see some people standing behind the camera gesturing for them to wrap it up.

“Well, you heard it here!” Giuliana says, drawing the interview to an end, “Now, have a good night girls, and good luck for your nominations and performance!”

The two girls get a few _‘Thank you!’_ and _‘We will!’s_ in before they’re being ushered away.

When they’re guided to some free space, Lauren drags Camila aside, pulling her into a familiar embrace that Camila easily and willingly accepts.

When they break apart ( _much to Camila’s dismay_ ), that’s when she actually gets a good look at what Lauren’s dressed in. Before, during the interview, Lauren had ambushed her, leaving not much time to appreciate the girl’s figure, and for the better part of it, she was either solely focused on memorising every detail on Lauren’s face, or avoiding looking at the girl completely, not wanting to out herself for the cameras.

But now, pulled apart, she’s finally able to appreciate Lauren as a whole. She’s sporting a white dress, black cape draped over her shoulders, an outfit that, if you were to admire from bottom up, would seem modest. The length of the dress ends below her knee, showing a fair amount of skin, but not too much to leave anyone flustered really. Her arms are covered as well, white sleeves peeking out from the black cape she wears. And while so far everything seems innocent enough, the plunging neckline of her dress takes her outfit for tonight from _professional chic_ to _well, fuck me_.

Shamelessly, her eyes are caught at Lauren’s… _chest area_ , and it's only when the girl being ogled at lets out a cough, does her gaze find teasing green eyes.

“Hey, horny teenage boy, my eyes are up here,” Lauren smirks, a twinkling in her eyes as she says it.

Camila just shrugs. She’s tempted by Lauren’s lips, this close to just leaning in and stealing a kiss for herself, but they are on the red carpet, and even if they didn't have the whole _lowkey_ thing going, PDA isn't too much of Camila’s thing. “You look… _wow_ ,” Camila manages, her usual way with words completely failing her in this instance.

“Thanks, Shakespeare,” Lauren jokes, but still her gaze falls to her fidgeting hands, clearly flustered by the compliment. “You look… _wow_ too,” she says when her eyes meet Camila’s. “When you said skin,” she begins, her hand finding the bare skin of Camila’s back. She swears she tries not to flinch at the touch, but Lauren seems to have that kind of effect on her, “I didn't realise the whole AMAs would see more of your body than I have,” she finishes, her hand trailing up and down the length of Camila’s back, slowly, tauntingly.

She knows the game Lauren’s playing, but Camila happens to know she has the effect they have on each other is mutual. So, Camila leans in, lips hovering just by Lauren’s ear, close enough that her breath tickles at the girl’s skin without actually any contact, her voice just barely above a whisper as she says, “If you're good, you'll get to see more than just this.”

By the hitch in Lauren’s breath, she knows the desired effect has been achieved, and to simply further rub the victory in, she presses a friendly kiss to Lauren’s cheek. ‘Flabbergasted’ would be the perfect word to describe the look on the older girl’s face.

“C’mon, I want you to meet my mami,” Camila changes the subject completely, taking Lauren by her hand and dragging her towards where her mother had been waiting. “Mami,” she introduces, turning to her mother then back, “Lauren. Lauren, Mami.”

That forces Lauren to regain her composure, her hand sticking out for a handshake, her “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cabell-“ cut off by her mother pulling Lauren into a bone crushing one-sided hug.

“Call me Sinu, mija,” she insists, “Karla talks about you so much I feel like I know you already!”

“Karl-?” Lauren’s confused for one second before it clicks, and by the smugness on her face, Camila knows she's going to have that used against her for the foreseeable future. “Right, _Karla_ only says good things, I hope?” she teases, the sly smirk to Camila is swapped out easily for a sweet smile as she turns to her mother.

“Too much good things, if you ask me. It’s almost like you're perfect to Mila,” her mother says casually, but Camila flushes at that, refusing to meet Lauren’s eyes.

“ _Almost_ ,” Camila cuts in, a sorry attempt to defend herself. “Well, I’m glad you two are acquainted, but I think we better get a move on, huh?” she turns to Ally, who looks like she's about to shake her head, a ‘We’re not rushing’ on the tip of her tongue, until Camila shoots her a glare, when Ally seems to change her mind and agree. Camila guides her mom to move ahead of them, falling into step with Lauren when she asks, “Where's, uh, your friend- Lucy?”

“She's somewhere around mingling I guess. She’s more natural at these types of things than I am,” Lauren shrugs, “Maybe you'll meet her inside, _Karla_ ,” she adds, hellbent on making that name stick apparently.

“Shut up,” Camila nudges at Lauren playfully, earning a laugh from the girl. They've just crossed the threshold into the hall, and Ally’s gesturing for Camila to come over to one side where her seat is, while Lauren's people do the same but on the opposite side. “Well, I’ll see you during the breaks maybe? If not, before the performance.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you Camz,” she smiles, squeezing at Camila’s arm.

“And if I don't get to see you before, you're going to win that AMA,” Camila assures, hoping her voice portrays how genuine she’s being.

“Thanks, babe,” Lauren wears the largest grin at that, “But c’mon we both know Rihanna’s going to win it or something, but it's not even a question that _you’re_ going to win,” she says, “Lucky we’re not in the same category, I'd hate for you to lose against me,” Lauren winks playfully.

“Me too, you'd just boast for like months,” Camila plays along. “Well, I better get going,” she nods her head to where her mother is already settling down in her seat. “Good luck again, Lo.”

“You too, babe,” she says in finality before she's being ushered off towards her seat.

_Babe_. Camila doesn't think she’ll ever get used to that, but she sure as hell loves hearing it.

-/-

The award show goes by quickly. Between other artists’ performances, and the complimentary glasses of champagne being passed around during commercial breaks, Camila barely even notices that the next category is Lauren’s: _Favourite Female Artist: Pop/Rock_. While personally, she doesn’t think Lauren’s sound falls into either category, she’s just praying she’s going to win it either way.

It’s Hailee Steinfeld and her co-star from her new movie who’s presenting the award, giving a short intro of how amazing all four women nominated are, before they introduce the nominees themselves.

_“Selena Gomez,”_ the voice reads out, a flashing picture of the beautiful girl appears on screen, “ _Rihanna_ ,” the same for her, _“Adele,”_ and again for her, then finally, _“Lauren Jauregui.”_

Camila involuntarily smiles just at the name, the image of Lauren they put up on the screen only widening it. She’s beautiful, more beautiful than words can do justice. She’s too busy marvelling at and thinking about Lauren’s features that she doesn’t even realise a name’s being called out, an eruption of cheers and applause following.

She looks back up at the screen in time to see Selena dressed in red, getting up and hugging her companion, before she makes her way to the stage. This is the part where the cameras would pan to the other nominees, but both Rihanna and Adele were no shows, so the focus is only on Lauren.

The girl sits in her seat, wide smile on her face as she claps along with the rest of the audience. And as much as Camila knows they’re trained to have the perfect ‘loser face’, she knows Lauren is actually genuinely happy for Selena. Her smile says nothing else but sincere, and Camila believes it. Then Camila’s eyes catch a little bit of movement, how the girl next to Lauren leans over and whispers something in her ear, but Camila’s more focused on the girl herself.

When Lauren had said her friend was _Lucy_ , she didn’t expect for that friend to be up and coming model _Lucy Vives_. Before she’s allowed to get too caught on the girl, the screen pans back to Selena, accepting the award gracefully from Hailee. She barely pays attention to the speech, not when she’s too fixated over the fact that the friend is Lucy Vives. Not that she’s star struck or anything, nor is it jealousy, it’s just… a sudden sense of insecurity rises in Camila’s chest.

Lucy Vives is well, _Lucy_ and she is the face of commercial modelling. Camila might not know too much about the girl, but she’s seen her in some magazines she’s flipped through, seen her plastered on the front of branded stores and Camila can’t help but think about all of her own little imperfections. She thinks about how sometimes she talks too much, or how when she’s a little too happy, her grin stretches all across her face, or how she looks completely terrible from _that_ one angle.

Her mother seems to notice the furrow on her brow because she takes Camila’s hand in her own, rubbing her thumb across the back of her hand. Her mother may not know what’s going on in the inner psyche of Camila, and yet she never fails to make her feel better.

It doesn’t stop Camila from overthinking, however. She’s wondering how _she_ – _Camila_ – could be Lauren’s ‘sexual awakening’ ( _as Dinah would put it_ ), when she’s been friends with _Lucy Vives_ this whole time. But still, Camila puts her overwhelming thoughts aside, taking back her hand from her mother to type out a message on her phone.

_[08:26pm] I’m sorry you didn’t win :( xx_

_[08:26pm] if it makes any difference, you’re my favourite female artist_

**_[08:27pm] ngaww camz, why are you so cute_ **

**_[08:27pm] but c’mon I knew I wasn’t going to win. I’m literally just amazed that I was put in the same league as those women_ **

**_[08:27pm] plus, if I did win, I wouldn’t be able to top selena’s speech_ **

**_[08:28pm] ngl, it made me cry a lil_ **

_[08:28pm] you would have deserved it too tho!!_

**_[08:28pm] stopppp_ **

**_[08:28pm] but your category is up next_ **

**_[08:28pm] excited???_ **

_[08:29pm] I’m pretty sure we wont win, but even if we do I gotta go up there with that crusty boiii and that sucks_

**_[08:30pm] stop being a grump. you are going to win and you just gotta suck it up if you do_ **

_[08:30pm] you know what? you’re right. thanks for the tough love, lo_

_[08:31pm] aite we’ve been on our phones too long. Wouldn’t want the cameras to catch us slipppinn_

**_[08:32pm] I know I’m right, and good luck again camz <3_ **

Barely five seconds after she slips her phone back into her purse, they’re back from commercial break, Gigi and Jay standing before the cameras to introduce the next presenters.

To say she isn’t nervous or excited at all would be a lie. As much as she doesn’t think they’ll win, she genuinely hopes they will. The AMAs are a big deal, and she’s been lucky enough to have even been nominated at all.

The category’s introduced by a country group (one she doesn’t recognise, _oops_ – _sorry, country’s just not her thing_ ), and once they’ve done their little intro for the award, the nominees are presented. _“Rihanna, featuring Drake,”_ their song _Work_ plays, a clip from the music video flashing across the screens. The same is done for everyone else. _“Machine Gun Kelly, featuring Camila Cabello; Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend; The Chainsmokers featuring Daya; and Drake featuring Kyla and Wizkid,”_ the deep voice finally finishes off.

The cameras pan back to the presenters.

“And the AMA for best collaboration goes to…”

_It’s going to be Rihanna and Drake. It has to be. That was basically the song of the summer. Or maybe Drake for One Dance, because that’s one catchy son—_

“… _Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello for Bad Things!”_

She’s pretty positive she’s not hearing it right. Positive that she’s just imagining things, but when her mother shakes her lightly, Camila knows she isn’t delusional. She’s too busy trying to gather herself that she doesn’t even notice her collaborator walking towards her, obviously looking to walk up together. So, like Lauren had advised her, she sucks it up, pressing a kiss to her mother’s cheek ( _“I’m so proud of you, mija.”),_ before she joins the rapper on his walk towards the stage.

The walk up to receiving the award is mostly a blur for her. She vaguely recognises her voice being played in the background, and that just makes her smile all the more, vaguely realises being ushered up the steps and onto the stage, vaguely catches MGK accepting the award from the presenters. She stands by him as he goes first, says his bit, and she’s glad he’s gone up first, giving her a bit more time to think of what _she_ should say. CAmila wasn’t kidding when she didn’t think they’d win, didn’t see it as necessary to write out a speech.

She’s watching the crowd, scanning over the audience. Camila finds her mother there, having just settled back into her seat with the proudest grin on her face, and that gives her a much needed boost of confidence. Eventually, as her eyes make its way across the audience, she sees Lauren too. The girl seems to have noticed that Camila’s found her, sending her a thumbs up from where she sits. She looks adorable doing the simple act, the smile that stretches across those perfect lips of hers—

“ _Camila_ ,” she hears her name being whispered, and she’s pulled from her thought process as she’s being ushered in front of the mic.

“What? _Oh_ , shit- I mean, _sh_ \- _damn_ \- _Oh god,”_ the audience eats up her rambling, and it just adds to her nerves. “ _Right_ , okay I know I don’t have a lot of time but I didn’t prepare a speech so this is going to be messy,” she starts. “You have no idea how grateful I am for this award, and firstly, I want to thank my family: _mami, papi,_ and _Sofi,_ I love you all. Thank you to MGK for taking me on this wild ride,” she adds, turning to the man in question, sending him a surprisingly unforced smile, “My team, my fans – because you guys are everything to me. Never forget that,” she says as she turns back to the cameras, before concluding, “Here’s to more great collaborations.”

She blinks, and the next moment, she’s backstage. Everything’s a whirl for her, and she’s really not sure how to feel about all of this. She can barely control herself before she pulls her collaborator into a hug, an excited, “We did it!” elicited from herself.

He smiles back at her, saying he’s proud of them and tells her to _‘break a leg out there’_ for her performance, and honestly, if the guy wasn’t allowed to make jokes, he’d be a decent dude.

“Okay, Camila you’ve got to go into dressing to change for your performance,” she hears someone say, and she nods, following as someone shows her to where she’s needed. 

The whole thing doesn’t take too long. She’s stripped out of her original dress, and put into another outfit, an all-white two pieced, a high-necked crop top that’s paired with a pair of mesh flared pants. Her makeup’s still intact from the red carpet, so only minimal touch-ups was needed, while the mess on her head needed some work.

She’s barely even thinking about how anxious she is about the performance, too busy trying to recall everything she’d said in her messy speech, hoping she’d managed to thank all the right people. She’s too busy doing that, that she doesn’t even realise the dressing room door open and Lauren slip inside.

“ _Hey,”_ Camila hears, and when her eyes come back into focus, she swears as clichéd as it sounds, she sees a fucking angel. The thing is, she’s seen Lauren’s dress beforehand –  they both needed to coordinate their outfits for the performance – but seeing Lauren _in_ it is a different thing altogether. It’s a simple look really: a floor length white dress that hugs Lauren’s body at all the right places, simple spaghetti straps holding the whole thing up, leaving her arms bare. Her hair’s let down this time, the black of it against the porcelain of her skin and the white of her dress, a stark contrast that only works to bring out the green in her eyes. The neckline is nowhere close to as exposing as her previous outfit was, and yet Camila can’t help be more attracted to Lauren than she is in this moment. 

“You look perfect,” Camila lets slip. She feels her hairstylist pause at that, and Camila just hopes she takes it as nothing more than platonic, and when she resumes her work, Camila lets out a relieved breath.

“You’re looking especially perfect too,” she sends a sweet smile in reply. “You ready?” she asks.

“Well, my makeup’s done, I think hair’s going to be done in a-“

“ _I mean_ , are _you_ ready to perform? Because earlier this week you were all nervous and, are _you_ ready?” Lauren asks again, pressing on the word.

“Oh,” she says, and Camila can’t stop the smile that comes, too touched by the genuine worry and care in Lauren’s voice. She wants to say, _“With you, I am,”_ but that sounds too relationship-like, so she just settles on, “I am.”

“And you’re all set,” she hears her stylist say, tapping on Camila’s shoulder and swivels her around to face the mirror.

Camila’s never really liked this part of the dressing up as much, she hates staring at herself, all dolled up and barely recognisable, but it’s part of the industry, and so she smiles, says thank you, and lets the stylist leave. But Lauren walks up behind her, drapes an arm over her shoulder, Camila’s hand finding Lauren’s and they look like a picture straight out of some magazine. “You look gorgeous, Camz,” she says, intertwining her fingers with Camila’s.

“You look-“

“Just say _thank you_ ,” Lauren chides.

“I- _thanks,_ ” Camila replies, eyes dropping to her lap as she does.

“And you’re going to kill it out there tonight, okay?”

“You’re going to be gre—“

“ _Camz.”_

“Right,” she mumbles, eyes darting up to meet Lauren’s. “Thanks, Laur,” she says genuine this time.

Lauren pulls at Camila’s hand, the chair turning back around, then drags her out of the seat. “Now, c’mon. We better get out there,” she says.

Lauren drops Camila’s hand from hers, and the moment the contact is lost Camila already misses it, but it _would_ look suspicious to see the two girls emerge from the dressing room hand-in-hand, she reasons. But just as she’s frowning over not having Lauren’s hand to hold, the girl turns back around, and presses a soft kiss against her lips.

“A good luck kiss,” Lauren explains, her voice barely above a whisper. It makes Camila bite down on her smile, Lauren sometimes being too cute for her own good.

“For me, or for you?” Camila teases.

“For me.”

“Well, looks like I’ll need one too,” she replies before she swoops back in, their lips against each other’s for longer now. When she finally pulls away, she catches how Lauren’s tongue darts out and swoops over her own lips as though she were savouring the taste of Camila.

“Enough luck?” Lauren asks, a smile playing on the corner of her mouth.

With Lauren, Camila could perform on stage with Beyoncé fucking Knowles and she’d be as calm as ever.

“Yeah, definitely.”

-/-                                


	13. part thirteen

**_[11:03pm] aare u not coming for the afterparty?_ **

_[11:05pm] it’s not really my thing. I don’t like drinking too much :(_

**_[11:05pm] camz cuuuum_ **

**_[11:05pm] I wanna grinddd against you_ **

**_[11:05pm] u looked so so so oo hot tonigt_ **

_[11:06pm] lol are you drunk rn. already??_

_[11:06pm] and you looked hot too but I’m sorry lo, I’ve got a flight to catch tomorrow :(_

**_[11:10pm] licy gave me a bit 2mch to drnk_ **

**_[11:10pm] I miss u alreayd_ **

**_[11:11pm] I miss ur lips_ **

**_[11:14pm] ur lips are so kissable_ **

**_[11:14pm] theyre so soft and I like them aganst mine and I wan t them evehywhere_ **

**_[11:16pm] camzzm? their scolding me for using my phone_ **

_[11:24pm] sorry I took a shower_

_[11:24pm] lo, you’re drunk. I think you should stop texting me before you reveal your deepest darkest secret_

**_[11:25pm] I bet u smell nice_ **

**_[11:25pm] I mell like tquela_ **

**_[11:26pm] I don’t even like tquala_ **

_[11:26pm] I think u mean tequila_

**_[11:26pm] mm_ **

**_[11:27pm] but ure right_ **

**_[11:27pm] I’ll stop texting I dw to say anyht by accident_ **

_[11:28pm] okay, babe. take care please_

_[11:28pm] if u need anything call me. stay safe xx_

**_[11:29pm] ok I will_ **

**_[11:29pm] but b4 o go, i rly rly rly rly rly rly rly like u camz_ **

**_[11:30pm] and I can sya that bc that’s not a secret_ **

**_[11:30pm] ok bi_ **

**_[11:30pm] geddit bc u made me bi_ **

**_[11:30pm] haahha ah im funny ok byebye camz_ **

_[11:32pm] how are you still cute when you’re shitfaced honestly_

_[11:32pm] and in case you didn’t know already, I really really really really really really really really really really like you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow laur_

-/-

**_[02:24am] pssst I m drunk_ **

**_[02:24am] camzi_ **

**_[02:24am] camila_ **

**_[02:24am] karla_ **

**_[02:25am] I don’t want 2 sleep bec I don’t want 2 wake up with a angover tmrw_ **

**_[02:25am] how r u alred asleep_ **

**_[02:25am] THE NIGHT SI STILL YOUNG_ **

**_[02:25am] camzzzzzzz_ **

**_[02:26am] babe_ **

**_[02:26am] baby_ **

**_[02:26am] I like calling u baby_ **

**_[02:26am] ofuck u have a s=plane tomorrow_ **

**_[02:27am] p shit I’m sory_ **

**_[02:27am] shit I woek u up ure typing_ **

_[02:27am] laur, it’s 2am, are you okay? are you safe?_

**_[02:28am] fml im sorry_ **

**_[02:28am] id dint mean 2 wake u pp_ **

**_[02:28am] go to sleep_ **

_[02:29am] i’m up anyway. are you safe? tell me you’re home and okay please_

**_[02:29am] Im ok. someone sent me home I cnt rmb who_ **

**_[02:29am] but am home_ **

_[02:30am] okay good. are you okay? do u need me to come over?_

**_[02:30am] wtf ho w ru so nice. no I’m ok go back to sleep u have a plane to fly on_ **

_[02:31am] are you sure?_

**_[02:31am] yss. ure the swetset u know_ **

**_[02:31am] and the cutest_ **

**_[02:31am] and ill shut up u need sleep_ **

**_[02:31am] gnight baby tell the pilot to fly saf e I want u sa fe_ **

_[02:32am] hahha, I’ll try laur. goodnight xx_

**_[02:37am] don’t try. I need u safe. I  don’t knwo what id do without you_ **

-/-

Camila smiles at the texts. She’s read them over and over again since, and while at the moment she was just _a little_ annoyed that she woke up in the middle of the night, there isn’t even an ounce of that feeling now. Even drunk off her ass, Lauren manages to make Camila smile more than anyone ever has.

She was allowed to go straight back home after the AMAs for Thanksgiving, and so both her and her mother took the morning flight to Miami the very next day. It’s nearly 3pm and she’s sitting in the car, her father having picked them up from the airport, when she decides to call Lauren. She _should_ be awake by now, and if the information Normani gives her is true, then she _is_ awake, vomiting out traces of last night.

The phone rings for a while before she gets an answer, an extra raspy voice at the other end.

“ _Hello?”_

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Camila smiles to herself. “How are you feeling?”

_“I just woke up and I feel terrible and now my best friend is this toilet.”_

“I know.”

_“Mani?”_

“Yep,” Camila answers. She really wished more than anything that she’d be the one to take care of Lauren, holding her hair back, feeding her sips of water, giving her aspirin, _you know_ , just _be_ there for her. But she’s comforted by the fact that Normani’s there, and Lauren doesn’t have to deal with the hangover alone. “You okay?”

 _“Head’s pounding, but better now that you called.”_ She doesn’t know if Lauren knows of the effect she has on Camila, the simplest things managing to make her smile like a fool. _“Are you in Miami yet?”_

“Yeah, in the car with my parents.”

_“Tell them I said hi, and I am not hungover so they’d still think I’m a good influence on their daughter.”_

“Mami, Papi,” Camila calls out, “Lauren says hi and that she’s not hungover so that you’d still think she’s a good influence on me.”

_“Fuck, Camz!”_

“Hello, mija!” her mother calls out, the same time that her father says, “Morning, Lauren!”

“Drink lots of water and take care of yourself, darling,” her mother says.

“My mom said, drink—“ Camila starts, about to relay the message.

_“I heard. God how are your parents so sweet. My mom would whoop my ass for being drunk.”_

“That’s something I’d like to see,” she comments, grinning at just the image of it.

_“It ain’t pretty.”_

“But anything to do with you is pretty,” she says softer this time, not wanting her parents to overhear.

 _“You’re cute. But I feel the tequila coming, and—“_ there’s a gagging sound on the other side of the line, and Camila cringes at the thought of it. Maybe she _was_ just a bit lucky to not have to be there holding Lauren’s hair back. _“—okay I’ll call you back when I’m not trying to throw up my insides. I’m still so jealous you’re already back again. I’ll talk to you soon, bye babe.”_

“You’ll be back soon enough. But take care okay, Lo? We’ll talk more later,” Camila says as she concludes the call.

She’s leaning against the window, staring out as she takes in her hometown that she’s missed so dearly, the perfect image of angsty teen looking out of the window, when her father speaks up.

“Mija you should invite Lauren and her family over for Thanksgiving.”

She perks up at that. The thought hadn’t actually come to mind, but once her father had suggested it, she can’t quite think of anything else more perfect than that.

“Really?” she asks, genuinely surprised of the invitation.

“Your mother already got to meet her, and I’d love to meet this girlfriend of yours.”

She flushes at that. She’d kind of forgotten that _both_ parents knew. “I- she’s uh, not my _girlfriend_ ,” Camila amends. “I like her, but-“

“If you like her there shouldn’t be a ‘but’,” her father interjects.

“It’s not that, papi. She’s just starting to figure herself out. I can’t a force a relationship on her. It’s not fair to her.”

“But is it fair to you, Mila?”

To that, she doesn’t answer. Not when she herself doesn’t know the answer.


	14. part fourteen

**_[11:03pm] aare u not coming for the afterparty?_ **

_[11:05pm] it’s not really my thing. I don’t like drinking too much :(_

**_[11:05pm] camz cuuuum_ **

**_[11:05pm] I wanna grinddd against you_ **

**_[11:05pm] u looked so so so oo hot tonigt_ **

_[11:06pm] lol are you drunk rn. already??_

_[11:06pm] and you looked hot too but I’m sorry lo, I’ve got a flight to catch tomorrow :(_

**_[11:10pm] licy gave me a bit 2mch to drnk_ **

**_[11:10pm] I miss u alreayd_ **

**_[11:11pm] I miss ur lips_ **

**_[11:14pm] ur lips are so kissable_ **

**_[11:14pm] theyre so soft and I like them aganst mine and I wan t them evehywhere_ **

**_[11:16pm] camzzm? their scolding me for using my phone_ **

_[11:24pm] sorry I took a shower_

_[11:24pm] lo, you’re drunk. I think you should stop texting me before you reveal your deepest darkest secret_

**_[11:25pm] I bet u smell nice_ **

**_[11:25pm] I mell like tquela_ **

**_[11:26pm] I don’t even like tquala_ **

_[11:26pm] I think u mean tequila_

**_[11:26pm] mm_ **

**_[11:27pm] but ure right_ **

**_[11:27pm] I’ll stop texting I dw to say anyht by accident_ **

_[11:28pm] okay, babe. take care please_

_[11:28pm] if u need anything call me. stay safe xx_

**_[11:29pm] ok I will_ **

**_[11:29pm] but b4 o go, i rly rly rly rly rly rly rly like u camz_ **

**_[11:30pm] and I can sya that bc that’s not a secret_ **

**_[11:30pm] ok bi_ **

**_[11:30pm] geddit bc u made me bi_ **

**_[11:30pm] haahha ah im funny ok byebye camz_ **

_[11:32pm] how are you still cute when you’re shitfaced honestly_

_[11:32pm] and in case you didn’t know already, I really really really really really really really really really really like you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow laur_

-/-

**_[02:24am] pssst I m drunk_ **

**_[02:24am] camzi_ **

**_[02:24am] camila_ **

**_[02:24am] karla_ **

**_[02:25am] I don’t want 2 sleep bec I don’t want 2 wake up with a angover tmrw_ **

**_[02:25am] how r u alred asleep_ **

**_[02:25am] THE NIGHT SI STILL YOUNG_ **

**_[02:25am] camzzzzzzz_ **

**_[02:26am] babe_ **

**_[02:26am] baby_ **

**_[02:26am] I like calling u baby_ **

**_[02:26am] ofuck u have a s=plane tomorrow_ **

**_[02:27am] p shit I’m sory_ **

**_[02:27am] shit I woek u up ure typing_ **

_[02:27am] laur, it’s 2am, are you okay? are you safe?_

**_[02:28am] fml im sorry_ **

**_[02:28am] id dint mean 2 wake u pp_ **

**_[02:28am] go to sleep_ **

_[02:29am] i’m up anyway. are you safe? tell me you’re home and okay please_

**_[02:29am] Im ok. someone sent me home I cnt rmb who_ **

**_[02:29am] but am home_ **

_[02:30am] okay good. are you okay? do u need me to come over?_

**_[02:30am] wtf ho w ru so nice. no I’m ok go back to sleep u have a plane to fly on_ **

_[02:31am] are you sure?_

**_[02:31am] yss. ure the swetset u know_ **

**_[02:31am] and the cutest_ **

**_[02:31am] and ill shut up u need sleep_ **

**_[02:31am] gnight baby tell the pilot to fly saf e I want u sa fe_ **

_[02:32am] hahha, I’ll try laur. goodnight xx_

**_[02:37am] don’t try. I need u safe. I  don’t knwo what id do without you_ **

-/-

Camila smiles at the texts. She’s read them over and over again since, and while at the moment she was just _a little_ annoyed that she woke up in the middle of the night, there isn’t even an ounce of that feeling now. Even drunk off her ass, Lauren manages to make Camila smile more than anyone ever has.

She was allowed to go straight back home after the AMAs for Thanksgiving, and so both her and her mother took the morning flight to Miami the very next day. It’s nearly 3pm and she’s sitting in the car, her father having picked them up from the airport, when she decides to call Lauren. She _should_ be awake by now, and if the information Normani gives her is true, then she _is_ awake, vomiting out traces of last night.

The phone rings for a while before she gets an answer, an extra raspy voice at the other end.

“ _Hello?”_

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Camila smiles to herself. “How are you feeling?”

_“I just woke up and I feel terrible and now my best friend is this toilet.”_

“I know.”

_“Mani?”_

“Yep,” Camila answers. She really wished more than anything that she’d be the one to take care of Lauren, holding her hair back, feeding her sips of water, giving her aspirin, _you know_ , just _be_ there for her. But she’s comforted by the fact that Normani’s there, and Lauren doesn’t have to deal with the hangover alone. “You okay?”

 _“Head’s pounding, but better now that you called.”_ She doesn’t know if Lauren knows of the effect she has on Camila, the simplest things managing to make her smile like a fool. _“Are you in Miami yet?”_

“Yeah, in the car with my parents.”

_“Tell them I said hi, and I am not hungover so they’d still think I’m a good influence on their daughter.”_

“Mami, Papi,” Camila calls out, “Lauren says hi and that she’s not hungover so that you’d still think she’s a good influence on me.”

_“Fuck, Camz!”_

“Hello, mija!” her mother calls out, the same time that her father says, “Morning, Lauren!”

“Drink lots of water and take care of yourself, darling,” her mother says.

“My mom said, drink—“ Camila starts, about to relay the message.

_“I heard. God how are your parents so sweet. My mom would whoop my ass for being drunk.”_

“That’s something I’d like to see,” she comments, grinning at just the image of it.

_“It ain’t pretty.”_

“But anything to do with you is pretty,” she says softer this time, not wanting her parents to overhear.

 _“You’re cute. But I feel the tequila coming, and—“_ there’s a gagging sound on the other side of the line, and Camila cringes at the thought of it. Maybe she _was_ just a bit lucky to not have to be there holding Lauren’s hair back. _“—okay I’ll call you back when I’m not trying to throw up my insides. I’m still so jealous you’re already back again. I’ll talk to you soon, bye babe.”_

“You’ll be back soon enough. But take care okay, Lo? We’ll talk more later,” Camila says as she concludes the call.

She’s leaning against the window, staring out as she takes in her hometown that she’s missed so dearly, the perfect image of angsty teen looking out of the window, when her father speaks up.

“Mija you should invite Lauren and her family over for Thanksgiving.”

She perks up at that. The thought hadn’t actually come to mind, but once her father had suggested it, she can’t quite think of anything else more perfect than that.

“Really?” she asks, genuinely surprised of the invitation.

“Your mother already got to meet her, and I’d love to meet this girlfriend of yours.”

She flushes at that. She’d kind of forgotten that _both_ parents knew. “I- she’s uh, not my _girlfriend_ ,” Camila amends. “I like her, but-“

“If you like her there shouldn’t be a ‘but’,” her father interjects.

“It’s not that, papi. She’s just starting to figure herself out. I can’t a force a relationship on her. It’s not fair to her.”

“But is it fair to you, Mila?”

To that, she doesn’t answer. Not when she herself doesn’t know the answer.


	15. part fifteen

Lauren’s arriving in Miami today. It’s only been a day since Camila herself had landed, but she can’t quite wait to see her again. Lauren had said that they could hang out later at night after she’s caught up with her family, and Camila appreciates that she’d been the one to suggest it, honestly thinking that Lauren would spend all her time with her family and friends.

Camila’s spent most of her time with Sofi, mainly just lazing around or playing dress up with her. She’s missed her so much and she hates that every time she leaves and comes back, it feels like Sofi’s grown up without her. _Sure,_ they FaceTime and Skype on the regular, but Camila’s never around for the little things. It’s those little things that makes her hate her lifestyle sometimes. Being away from family all the time hurts, especially when in this business, they’re the only ones she can fully count on. She’s not stupid to think that even her closest friends in the industry could turn their backs on her one day. It's just how the business works. .

Between helping her mother around the house and playing with Sofi and catching up with her father, the day pasts by quickly. Lauren and her exchange texts the whole day, with constant updates on what’s going on in the Jauregui household. Camila’s yet to invite Lauren and her family over for Thanksgiving, feeling it more appropriate to ask in person tonight when they’re together. But before she knows it, ‘tonight’ is now, and Lauren’s just texted her that she’ll be over to pick her up in ten minutes.

She feels oddly nervous, a schoolgirl-like giddiness rises in her chest. She imagines this must be how it feels like as a high schooler for your date pick you up at your parents’ house, not that _she_ ever knew. Her high school experience consisted mainly of Dinah – listening to the girl talk about boys in a way Camila could never relate, sleepovers and movie nights, study sessions that would turn into gossip sessions. For Camila, it was mainly just the two of them. She wasn’t _undesirable_ per se, there were a couple of boys who’d send her cute notes, but none really caught her eye. It was only until she was already out of high school, on her way to pop stardom, that she realised why that was. So, she never went on dates, nor did she ever go to a school dance. She missed out on a lot, and it’s these kinds of things that makes her regret ever auditioning for X Factor in the first place. Had she known this was what she’d signed up for, she might’ve not let Dinah and her parents persuade her into going.

Her phone buzzes in her hand, a message from Lauren flashing on her screen.

**_[10:38pm] come down babe, I think I’m outside_ **

**_[10:38pm] the house with the Christmas decorations already up right?_ **

_[10:39pm] unfortunately, yes._

_[10:39pm] I’ll be down in a second_

If she were a teenager, going out at almost 11 with the girl she’d liked, she realises that this would be the part where Camila would sneak out of her house, avoiding any loud noises, not wanting to alert her parents. But Camila’s an adult now, and she doesn’t actually have to sneak out, so before she leaves, she heads to her parents’ room, knocking on the door and waiting for an answer before she pushes it open.

Her parents are lounging on their bed, her father with a book in his hands while her mother flips through the channels on the tv.

“I’m going out now,” Camila informs her parents. There are no secrets between them ( _now, at least there isn’t, not when they know about her sexuality_ ), so she comes right out with it.

“With Lauren?” her father asks.

“Yeah,” she answers.

“Okay, mija, be safe,” her mother adds. “We love you.”

“You too,” she smiles.

She’s just about to close the door behind her when her father calls out, “Don’t forget to invite Lauren, Mila!”

“I will!” she calls back, making her way down the hall and to the stairs, rushing down (though carefully – they have a wonky step that Camila never fails to trip over) before she makes it to the door.

Lauren’s in an old car, a busted up blue VW. When Camila slides into the passenger side, she’s met with a kiss to her neck.

“I’ve missed you,” she says, pressing another kiss to her lips this time.

Lauren isn’t allowed to be this sweet, it physically pains her, her cheeks going numb at the amount of smiling Lauren elicits out of Camila. She takes the sight of the girl in. Lauren sits there in the driver’s seat, one hand on the steering wheel while the other plays with the ends of Camila’s hair, her own hair let down, the breeze from the opened windows only plays to its benefit. “When you said dress comfortable, I didn’t realise you meant _that_ ,” Camila mentions, taking in what Lauren sports as _‘comfortable’._ She’s wearing a monochrome bikini top, jean shorts paired with it, a floral printed kimono cardigan draped over her body. The outfit does well to accentuate her toned abs and lean legs, and Camila might have to take back what she said about Lauren in that white dress being the most attractive she’s ever been.

Meanwhile, Camila’s wearing dark sweatpants and an army green crop top, and while her midriff is exposed, she feels very much overdressed. “Are we going to the beach? Should I go up and change into something more beach appropriate?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lauren grins, reaching behind to the back seat, throwing Camila a light tote bag. “I didn’t tell you because I wanted to surprise you anyway. I brought you a pair that I think would show you off perfectly,” Lauren explains, a sly smirk on her face at the last bit.

“You do know I can just go up and—“ she makes a move to open the door, but Lauren steps on the gas, a completely guiltless face flashes a grin at her.

“ _Oops?_ Too late?”

“This better not be too skimpy,” Camila frowns, pulling out the swimwear, revealing, well _… not much_. It’s a black two piece, with not a vast amount of fabric. Camila rolls her eyes at Lauren, who’s now focused solely on the road, acting as though she didn’t totally have this all planned out. “Really, Lo?”

“What? Your ass will look great in it,” she shrugs simply, as though that’s enough reason for the sabotage.

“You _are_ an ass.”

Lauren shrugs again, the picture of nonchalance. “Yeah, but you _like_ that about me,” she teases.

“Unfortunately,” Camila sighs, playfully going along. Lauren tilts her head, the smile on her lips just brightens her face even in the dim lighting of the night. “It’s good you’re cute though,” Camila adds, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to Lauren’s cheek.

“What was that for?” Lauren asks, the smile from before only widening.

“I don’t know. You’re just cute.”

“ _Eh_ ,” Lauren shrugs, “I guess I’ll take it. But if you’re going to kiss me every time I’m cute, I’m sorry to say, you’re going to be kissing me a lot.”

“ _Eh,”_ Camila mimics, “I don’t think I mind that too much.”

-/-

The drive doesn’t take any longer than twenty minutes, a whole twenty minutes of Camila pestering Lauren to spill where exactly they’re headed, only for the girl to reply every single time with an _‘It’s a surprise.’_

And while Camila’s lived in Miami for most of her life, living in that very same house that’s barely a half hour away, she’s completely clueless to the area Lauren brings her to. Unlike most beaches in Miami, overcrowded with seas of bodies attempting to get a perfect tan, this one remains secluded, hidden away.

“What is this place?” Camila asks, her shoes in her hands as she feels the sand between her toes.

“Just a little place me and my siblings discovered a while ago. People don’t really come here as it is, and it’s night time so, we’re less likely to get caught or anything,” Lauren explains. “Tonight, it can be us, outside, just you and me,” she smiles, taking Camila’s free hand into hers.

“This-“ she has a lot to say. _This… is the best thing she could ever ask for, is making her happier than she’s ever been, is filling her up with so many feelings she can barely string together a coherent sentence, is making her feel so much but all she can focus on is that she’s pretty sure she’s falling for Lauren and she knows it’s too soon, but fuck it, she’s falling and she can’t find it in herself to stop_. But she doesn’t say that. Of course, she doesn’t. “This is amazing,” she chooses instead, the word barely even scratching the surface of what she feels in reality. It still makes Lauren smile, and that’s all that matters, really. “Thanks for sharing this place with me,” Camila adds, but Lauren just squeezes her hand in reply.

They settle on a spot just a bit away from the shore, Lauren reasoning that they wouldn’t want to wake up drenched if they happened to doze off. The fact that Lauren has seen this little date to last through the night makes Camila smile. By now, she’s _sure_ Lauren knows exactly what she’s doing to Camila and the effect she has on her, but still Lauren acts completely oblivious to the sheer weight of the little things she says or does.

She lays out a blanket, the one she’s had draped over her shoulder during the walk over. Lauren gestures for Camila to lay down, but Camila’s still in her _‘comfortable clothing’,_ so she kind of just fidgets, not knowing what really she’s to do.

“You just change if you want,” Lauren tells her, her voice casual as if she wasn’t implying for Camila to strip down naked and change in front of her. “There’s no one around,” she assures, then, adding with her arms up in surrender, “I’ll even turn around if you’re not comfortable.”

She nods at that, waiting for Lauren to shift her body away, doing the same so their backs are facing each other before she dares to pull her shirt over her head. Quickly, she slips both her sweats and underwear off, sliding into the bottoms that was in the bag Lauren had given her. The material fits her snugly, just tight enough to feel comfortable. She peeks over her shoulder, and true to her word, Lauren is still looking elsewhere. Camila then reaches around as she unclips the clasp of her bra, slips it off as she quickly covers herself back up with the bikini top Lauren had provided for her.

When she finds herself struggling to tie the strings together, she calls, “Laur, I kinda need your help.”

Camila hears movement behind her, then a stilled _“Oh,”_ and it makes her smile to herself, knowing that Lauren isn’t the only one whose body can leave the other speechless.

“Can you tie it up?” she asks, _maybe_ purposefully flaunting her butt. Lauren _did_ say her ass would look great.

She peers over her shoulder to find Lauren walking tentatively towards her, her eyes very much focused exactly where she thought they’d be. “Y-yeah,” she stutters out when she notices Camila’s been watching with an arched brow. Lauren’s fingers fumble as she ties the back of the bikini top at nape of her neck, her hair own being pulled aside by Camila to give Lauren less obstructions.

Ten seconds feel like ten minutes, but when Lauren’s finally done, she presses her lips just above where the string is tied together, “ _There,”_ she says. “Now do you wanna sit first or go into the water?”

“Into the water?” Camila repeats, turning around, her face sceptical, “Laur, it’s _cold_ ,” she whines, pout forming on her lip.

“ _Camz_ , live a little – when’s the next time you can just go into the ocean without any paps poaching for a picture?” Lauren persuades, reclaiming Camila’s hand as she walks backwards towards the water.

She can’t find anything wrong with Lauren’s logic, if she were to be honest. Right now is the opportune time for her to do anything and everything – well anything that can be done in a secluded beach in the middle of the night ( _which Lauren might argue is a lot_ ) – and really, with Lauren’s hand in hers, she’s willing to do anything and everything. What’s a little cold water anyway, right?

“You’re lucky I like you,” Camila says, pout still firmly on her lips.

Lauren jerks Camila in by the hand she holds, their bodies coming close as Lauren suavely kisses away the petulant pout. “And that I’m cute, right?” she adds, a teasing smile on her lips as she pulls away.

Camila grumbles nonetheless, still dreading the cold of the water they’re headed towards. “ _Very_ cute,” she amends, and the other girl grins back at her. Even in the dark of the night, only light being from the distant streetlights and the reflection off the moon, Camila’s totally entranced by how the shadows play with Lauren’s features.

There’s a soft splashing sound as Lauren backs into the shallow waters by the shore, a visible shiver runs through her as her feet come into contact with the water. She wants to say an _‘I told you so!’_ but she doesn’t have the time, not when she’s pulled into Lauren as she picks up her speed backwards, the two girls ending up falling into the water, a wave splashing over them effectively getting them both wet.

As is, Camila’s not the most coordinated person, so when _Camila, ice cold water,_ and _crashing waves_ is basically just a recipe for disaster. She’s tumbling around, her hand still firmly holding Lauren’s, and over the splashing of the waters, Camila can just about make out Lauren’s laughter. When she _finally_ overcomes her struggle against the waves, she finds Lauren clutching at her stomach and she doesn’t think she’s ever heard Lauren laugh this hard, struggling to sit up between fits of giggles and attempting to not be overwhelmed by the water. 

When Lauren continues to laugh maniacally, the both of them drenched to the bone (Lauren unsurprisingly managing to work the wet-hair look), Camila decides on some payback, lunging at the girl to drag her beneath the surface. They both break from the water simultaneously, the moment shock subsides, Lauren’s back to laughing her ass off, only making Camila splash more water at her, though it doesn't give the desired effect, Lauren seeming unconcerned.

“You're an asshole,” Camila scolds, “I'm going to die of hypothermia. This was your plan all along wasn't it? Befriend me, make out a little, then _drown me_ ,” she says theatrically.

“ _Boohoo,”_ Lauren mocks. “What a baby,” she says as she threads her way through the water, “ _C’mere_ ,” Lauren says, arms open, “Let me warm you up,” with a sly smirk.

_Well, she's not going to oppose that._ She easily finds herself in the older girl’s arms, comforted by the slow circles she rubs on her back. They stay like that for awhile, in each other's hold, bodies half in the water, warming the other up.

“Better?” Lauren asks pulling away, a soft smile on her face. She tucks away the loose wet strands that’s stuck to Camila’s face, waiting for her to nod before she leans in for a peck on the lips. “ _C’mon,_ ” she tells her, taking her hand in hers as she leads them back to where it's dry, “Let's lay down.”

When they get to the blanket Lauren’s fixed up earlier, the two of them settle on it, but when Lauren makes a move to pull Camila into lying on top of her, Camila turns the tables and tugs Lauren instead to lay on her.

“You're always the big spoon,” Lauren groans, though not making a move to shift their positions, instead she nuzzles her head deeper into Camila’s neck, her cheek resting atop Camila’s breasts.

“As if you don't like being the little spoon,” Camila retorts, her smile deepening as she feels Lauren snake her around Camila’s, hand gently holding her shoulder.

“I don't,” she says petulantly, again not doing anything to match her words.

They lay like that for what feels like hours. For all Camila knows, it could've been a minute, ten, a half hour, _a fucking day_ – all she knows is that time ceases to exist when she's letting herself be consumed by the other girl. Embarrassingly enough, as innocent as it is, having Lauren lay on her, skin touching skin, this is the most intimate Camila’s been with anyone.

They talk about everything and nothing, Camila finding out just how _smart_ Lauren really is as she goes into a heated discussion about _rights_ and _politics_ and anything she's passionate in. She swears her heart beats faster when Lauren gets like that, wonders vaguely if the other girl could hear the quickening pace with her ear to Camila’s chest.

“You know,” Camila begins, breaking the comfortable silence that's extended over a few moments, “this is like my first date, like, _ever,_ ” she adds for good measure.

Lauren tilts her head up at that, but Camila finds her brows furrowing, eyes squinting the slightest, confusion clearly etched onto her face, and _shit – Lauren never actually said this was a date._

“I mean- _like_ , not _date-date_ , because I know you never said that it was, but like, _y’know- it's the- fuck_ —“ Camila tries to amend, surely Lauren noticed how her heart had legitimately stopped for a second there. She's rambling and she's desperate to make this as un-awkward as she can, but when a grin breaks on Lauren’s lips, Camila’s just a little more than confused.

“ _Camz, you should've seen your face!”_ the girl laughs, pushing herself up slighting to fix her position. _“Priceless,”_ she adds, and _oh._

Camilla rolls her eyes. Lauren’s a little shit for making her worry like that.

“It _is_ a date to me,” she says, her teasing grin turning into a gentle smile. “And that's everyone else’s lost that they've never tried to snatch you up before me, because _damn,_ they're missing out.”

Camila doesn't miss how Lauren’s eyes trail over her body, across barely covered skin, and right now, under Lauren’s gaze she wishes she was wearing just a little more, maybe it could hide the flush that spreads through her.

“You _scared_ me,” Camila says, trying to distract Lauren from basically undressing her with her eyes ( _not that there’s much left for imagination_ ).

“ _Sorry,”_ she apologises, though Camila doesn't catch a hint of remorse, not when Lauren’s eyes twinkle like they are now.

“You're not,” she disputes.

“I’m not,” the other girl agrees.

“How are Chris and Taylor?” Camila asks once Lauren settles back on top of her.

“Chris has a new girlfriend, who I'm going to interrogate tomorrow,, and Taylor would so freak out at the fact you just said her name,” Lauren informs her. “She couldn't shut up about how I knew you, it's pretty annoying.”

“You're just jealous that your own sister is a bigger fan of me than she is of you,” Camila teases, poking at Lauren’s side causing her to squirm.

“ _Shut up,_ am _not.”_

“Whatever you say, Laur,” she presses a kiss to the crown of her head. “Oh yeah,” she’s suddenly reminded, “My dad invited you and your family over to mine for Thanksgiving.”

She thinks nothing of it, slips it in casually into the conversation. It's only at Lauren’s reply that Camila starts overthinking.

_“Oh?”_

Oh. _Oh._ Do _friends_ not invite their _friends_ to Thanksgiving dinners? What about friends who occasionally kiss and hold hands and go to beaches together? Or is that entering into relationship territory – territory that's clearly out of bounds for the both of them? Because Camila’s invited Dinah to previous Thanksgivings, but maybe that's different since their friendship was strictly platonic with zero making out between them. Did she overstep? Would it be awkward if she just took back the invitation?

_“I mean_ , it's not like a _meeting the in-laws_ type of dinner,” Camila tries, instantly regretting the words as they fall from her mouth, “It's just- my parents are the type to host parties, and I mean, it's not like a _big_ dinner, _just a couple family friends and what not-_ but I guess he wants to get to know you and your family because well, we’re _friends,_ and my dad always insists on meeting my friends and I don't think that'll ever change no matter how old I am and—“

“ _Jeez Camz,”_ Lauren interrupts, “I didn't mean ‘ _oh’_ like I was freaking out at the suggestion or anything. I was just surprised is all.” She lets out a relieved breath she didn't know she was holding at Lauren’s explanation. “Your dad hasn't even met me yet and me and my family are invited for an intimate gathering- I'm just amazed at how welcoming you Cabellos are.”

A grin stretches across Camila’s face at that. “Is that a yes?”

“I'll ask my family, but I'm pretty sure we’re in,” she smiles back. “Now you've got to stop freaking out over the littlest things,” Lauren scolds lightly.

“Did _not.”_

“You're forgetting that I basically heard your heart not beat for like a whole minute there,” Lauren challenges, brow arching at Camila.

“ _Shut up,”_ she says, pulling Lauren’s head back to rest in the crook of her neck.

They stay like that for awhile, Camila just listening to Lauren’s breathing. Just as Camila thinks Lauren’s dozed off, her breathing slow and steady the other girl mumbles something.

“I'm sorry for drunk texting you by the way,” she says, her voice a murmured whisper, “That was so embarrassing.”

“It was cute,” she corrects.

“Everything I seem to do is cute to you. The word is losing its meaning,” Lauren teases.

“Then stop doing everything so _cutely_.”

Lauren tilts her head up, eyes meeting Camila’s, “I’ll try,” she says as she leans up and presses her lips to Camila’s. It’s an innocent kiss, just a press of the lips, but it's long and Lauren’s lips are soft, and _fuck_ , Camila never not wants to kiss Lauren.

“You say that, but you do things like that,” Camila teases. “You are a paradox, Lauren Jauregui.”

“You going to stick around to try and figure me out?” Lauren asks playfully.

Camila’s reply comes out less than playful, but she hopes Lauren doesn't notice.

“For as long as you'll have me.”

-/-

They fall asleep after that, their position remaining the same throughout. Camila would complain that having Lauren on top of her for the whole night probably flattened her boobs, but she honestly couldn't care less.

She wakes up first, light cracking through her eyelids waking forcing her awake. By the dawning of the sun, she guessed it must be just a little after six, and when she grabs her phone to check the time she finds she's right.

_6:14AM._

“Laur,” she shakes the girl slightly though to no avail, “Babe _,”_ she tries again, eliciting a sleepy groan. “ _Baby,”_ she reattempts, this time pressing soft kisses to her forehead.

_“Mmm?”_ Lauren mumbles, eyes finally peeking open.

“Look, it's the sun,” Camila nods towards it.

Lauren lifts her head up, squinting into the breaking light right before she drops her head back down and shuts her eyes again, “Which _means_ ,” she grumbles, “That it's too early for me to be up.”

“I'm guessing you're not a morning person?” Camila grins at Lauren grumpiness.

“ _Ugh,_ I’m guessing you are?”

“ _Mhm,”_ she hums.

“Looks like we've got to compromise and only see each other at like noon or something.”

“ _Hah hah,”_ she lets out a humourless laugh. “ _C’mon_ it's so pretty. Look how its rays break into the darker sky, look at the orange and yellow mingling with the blues, and _look_ ,” she presses, “you can even still see a bit of the moon.”

It must be something that Camila said for Lauren to actually get up then, pushing her body off of Camila to sit up, and while she misses the contact, she feels just a little relieved to be able to stretch for herself.

“You really like the moon and the sun, huh?” Lauren asks, Camila moving to seat herself next to her, legs pulls to her chest as they watch the horizon.

“I just- yeah. It's a stupid quote thing I saw on tumblr awhile ago, and it kinda stuck, you know?” Camila says, playing it off as though she doesn't constantly think about it.

“Tell me.”

_“Really?”_ she's surprised. Usually when she starts talking about this stuff people get annoyed, and so she's used to not elaborating, but Lauren seems sincere, so she does. “It said _‘tell me the story about how the sun loved the moon so much she died every night to let her breathe’_ ,” Camila quotes by heart. “Well, the original said _he_ , but _y’know_ ,” she gestures to herself, “ _gay.”_

She laughs at that. “That's really pretty, Camz,” Lauren tells her. “So you're the sun, huh?” And when Camila nods, she asks again, “Have you found your moon yet?”

“I-“ she wants to say _‘you're my moon,’_ but they've only been a _thing_ for over a week, and she doesn't want to scare Lauren off, especially not after the wonderful night they had, so instead she settles on, “I think so,” she says, “it's still early, but I think so,” leaving it vague and open to Lauren’s own interpretations.

“Cool,” she replies, flashing a smile at Camila, nudging at her shoulder. “Just- just don't _die_ too much for your moon, okay?”

She doesn't know what that means, not even sure if she _wants_ to know, so she doesn't prod, just nods her head before she turns back, eyes watching carefully as the light brightens, slowly, but surely.


	16. part sixteen

_[12:18pm] i have sand in places i didn't even think was possible_

_[12:18pm] i feel violated by the sand_

_[12:20pm] babeeee the sand is EVERYWHERE_

_[12:20pm] i now know why anakin hated sand so much fml_

_[12:26pm] update: i washed my hair earlier and still, i'm finding grains of sand in my hair_

**_[12:34pm] poor baby_ **

**_[12:34pm] you're a dork_ **

**_[12:34pm] but sorry, was questioning chris' new girl_ **

_[12:35pm] it's ok. how is she? does she get the lauren jauregui stamp of approval?_

**_[12:35pm] she seems nice and all. so far maybe like a 75% approval_ **

**_[12:35pm] he likes her a lot so that's good i guess_ **

**_[12:36pm] did your parents care that you were out all night?_ **

_[12:36pm] awwww you're such a cute big sister_

_[12:36pm] nah, i'm a golden child so they trust me_

_[12:36pm] thanks for taking me out by the way_

_[12:37pm] i had a lot of fun just being with you_

_[12:37pm] you're pretty great you know_

_[12:37pm] and i really do like you, in case you were too drunk to remember me saying that before_

**_[12:38pm] anytime camz, i'm just glad you had fun xx_ **

**_[12:38pm] and yeah i know i'm pretty great, that's like a given_ **

**_[12:39pm] but don't worry, i remember_ **

**_[12:39pm] and i really like you too_ **

**_[12:39pm] like a lot_ **

**_[12:40pm] like i love your mind and how passionate you are about your music_ **

**_[12:40pm] and your heart. you're so kind and caring and you're just as beautiful inside as you are outside_ **

**_[12:40pm] i just_ **

**_[12:41pm] ugh_ **

**_[12:41pm] really like you_ **

**_[12:42pm] and your butt of course bc_ **

**_[12:42pm] ay mami ur ass looked fine af in that bikini last night_ **

_[12:45pm] how do you manage to walk that fine line between impossibly sweet and ultimate fuckboy so well?_

**_[12:45pm] it's a talent_ **

_[12:45pm] fml_

**_[12:46pm] ??? you okay ???_ **

_[12:46pm] you're just so cute like_

_[12:46pm] not to sound like a typical white girl and all but_

_[12:46pm] i can't even with how cute you are_

**_[12:47pm] thank youuu, i guess???_ **

_[12:47pm] ughgghhg_

_[12:47pm] just so cute_

_[12:48pm] anyway_

_[12:48pm] are the jaureguis coming to the cabellos for thanksgiving??_

**_[12:49pm] you bet your cuban ass we are_ **

_[12:51pm] omg yay okay i'll tell my mom & dad that's a yes !!!_

_[12:51pm] i'm so excited omg yay_

-/-

**_[4:02pm] look what i found_ **

_[4:03pm] when was that_

**_[4:03pm] normani took it during rehearsals_ **

**_[4:03pm] we cute_ **

_[4:05pm] the cutest_

_[4:05pm] wanna know something embarrassing?_

**_[4:06pm] um... when do i not??? do tell_ **

_[4:06pm] well i don't ever rewatch any of my live performances_

**_[4:06pm] okay...? where is the embarrassment_ **

_[4:07pm] shhhh. ok so i don't watch bc i usually hate something about it right?_

_[4:07pm] like my hair, or my voice or my something right_

_[4:07pm] well i've watched our AMAs performance like 16 times now_

**_[4:08pm] omg you neeeerd_ **

**_[4:08pm] but that's so cute_ **

**_[4:09pm] you're like obsessed with me or something_ **

_[4:11pm] shut up. i just really liked performing with you ok_

**_[4:12pm] we'll perform again together okay_ **

**_[4:12pm] let's try get on fallon or like corden_ **

**_[4:13pm] corden wanted you back anyway_ **

_[4:14pm] oh yea tbt to our gal squad days_

**_[4:15pm] shush that still makes me cringe_ **

_[4:16pm] lo...?_

**_[4:16pm] what_ **

_[4:16pm] will u be my gal pal ?_

**_[4:16pm] why did i know you'd say something lame like that_ **

_[4:17pm] lbr you laughed didn't you_

_[4:17pm] you're like my jokes' number one fan_

**_[4:18pm] well SOMEONE has to be_ **

_[4:18pm] ok rude_

**_[4:19pm] xoxo_ **

_-/-_

**_[8:54pm] i'm bored_ **

_[8:54pm] that sounds like a you problem, not a me problem_

**_[8:55pm] you're an ass. but seriouslyyy. i'm bored and my whole family has their own plans_ **

_[8:55pm] id say same, but i'm having a disney movie marathon with sofi, so i can't relate sorry babe_

**_[8:55pm] aw you and her are so cute_ **

**_[8:55pm] and you said im the cute big sister_ **

**_[8:55pm] i can't wait to meet her tomorrow_ **

**_[8:56pm] and see how you are with her in person_ **

_[8:57pm] or you could meet her tonight ??_

**_[8:57pm] are you asking me to crash your disney date with your sister??_ **

_[8:59pm] well she's going to be asleep in like an hour_

_[8:59pm] so i'll need a new cuddle buddy in a bittt_

_-/-_

_[9:07pm] is that a no??_

_-/-_

_[9:12pm] okay :(_

_-/-_

_[9:17pm] you'll meet her tomorrow theeeenn_

_-/-_

**_[9:22pm] babe_ **

**_[9:22pm] open the door_ **

_[9:23pm] what???_

**_[9:23pm] omg pleaseee_ **

**_[9:23pm] i kinda am only in a sweatshirt and shorts and it's cold camz open the door_ **

-/-

"Hey," Lauren greets the moment Camila pulls open her front door. She clearly knew Lauren would be there, and yet there's shock written all over Camila's face.

"You idiot," is all Camila says as her reply, pulling her away from the cool outside air, and over the threshold into the house.

"Jeez, that's all I get after driving all the way here?" Lauren jokes, though she's greatly grateful for being saved from the cold.

She cracks a smile at that, steps into Lauren's space as she leans to press her soft lips against Lauren's cold ones. "C'mon, idiot," she finds her hand taken by Camila, letting herself be led by the other girl.

Her house is the picture of homey, not a large space, but still comfortable. The walls are littered with photos of the Cabellos, the framed images basically a timeline of Camila's life. She doesn't get a chance to get a real good look at baby-Camila but she can't help but grin from what she does see.

She doesn't even realise that they're already at Camila's room, until she hears a soft voice.

"Who was it, Kaki?"

She feels herself being tugged forward, crossing over to step into the room by Camila, their hands very much still intertwined.

"It's Lauren," Camila answers, gesturing at Lauren almost as though she were presenting her to Sofi. "Lauren, Sofi. Sofi, Lauren," she introduces.

Lauren barely gets a response in before she feels small arms wrap themselves around her waist, her body automatically responding by bending down and returning the hug.

"Hey there, Sofi," Lauren grins down at the girl. "I'm Lauren," she crouches down for her eyes to meet the girl's, feeling the need to introduce herself again, but it's apparently not needed.

"I know," Sofi replies proudly, "Kaki won't shut up about you."

"Sofi," Camila scolds, lightly slapping at her shoulder.

"It's true," she pouts, the same pout that Camila would wear.

"No swearing," Camila chides.

"Not going to correct her about the other part?" Lauren interrupts, smirking up at Camila.

Camila blushes at that, eyes doing their best to avoid Lauren's. And just as Lauren's going to continue with the teasing, the tug she gets from Sofi as the little girl pulls at her hand, interrupts her, almost making her fall in the process.

"C'mon, Lolo," Sofi whines as she drags Lauren to Camila's bed. "We're watching the Little Mermaid," she says proudly before she settles in the middle of the mattress, back propped up against the pillows.

Lauren's left with not much choice but to follow suit, finding herself getting comfortable next to Sofi. Her eyes meet Camila's, whose grinning widely at the picture they create lying on her bed. She mouthes a 'What?' at Camila, who replies with a soft smile and a shaking head. Lauren nods for the other girl to come and join them, and Camila just obeys, making her way round the other end of the bed and settling on the opposite side of her sister.

"Ariel just signed away her voice to Ursula," Sofi informs Lauren, catching her up as though Lauren's never seen the movie before. She smiles nonetheless, nods her head and just plays along as the small girl gives her a summary of what's happened.

Meanwhile, Camila's just watching as the scene plays out, her heart filled with so much joy at how well her sister and her g- Lauren are getting to know each other. It wouldn't even be a question that if her family, especially if Sofi, didn't like who she brought home, she'd end things. Family's most important to her, and it wouldn't matter if she were in love, her priority is and always will be her family. But then again, if she knew her parents and her sister, if she were in love with someone, they'd be accepting of them too.

They're barely at the 'Kiss the Girl' scene before Sofi dozes off, her light snores a soft background to the movie.

"She's out," Lauren notes, her hand tapping at Camila's. Camila had slung her arm over her sister's body, reaching for Lauren's to hold in hers. Slowly, Camila extracts her hand back, over Sofi, before she slips out of bed.

"I'll bring her to her room," she announces quietly, arms scooping the sleeping figure of her sister before she pads slowly out the door.

It gives Lauren the time to appreciate her surroundings. Before, she'd been too focused on the presence of Camila. That, and the fact that she really does love The Little Mermaid. But now she's given the time to take in Camila's room, a room that just screams normal.

From her point on the bed, Lauren notices the small details of Camila's room - the board littered with old and new pictures of Camila and her friends (mostly of Dinah, with a few of the girl's own selfies, she notes) that hangs above a neat desk, the shelf that's full to the brim with books that Lauren has both read and loved, as well as some she doesn't recognise, and the little corner in her room where a keyboard sits, a worn guitar propped beside it against the wall. Nothing in the room tells her that it belonged to a chart topping pop singer, just a normal teenaged girl. She finds she likes seeing this side of Camila, a side without numbers and sales, a side without paparazzi trailing behind, a side where Camila's just Camila.

"She wanted to finish the movie, but she could barely open her eyes while she said it."

Camila's voice cuts in, Lauren's attentions taken away from the little music corner and diverted to the sound of her voice.

"I love her, she's adorable."

Camila bites her grin at that, moving to sit on the side of the bed that Lauren's on, gesturing for her to scoot in. Lauren wants to roll her eyes, tell her to just go around, but she knows it's a ploy to have their bodies closer to each other and she can't see anything wrong in that. "She's the most important person in my life," Camila says when she settles in, Lauren's arm slung protectively over her shoulder and head nestled in the space of her neck. "I'm glad the two of you get along."

"Would you stop kissing me if we didn't?" Lauren teases, but Camila's reply comes in a more serious tone.

"It would suck, but yeah," she says in all honesty. "My family is--"

And while Lauren's kind of surprised at Camila's answer, "Hey, I get it," she cuts in. "At the end of the day, they're all you have. You're right to prioritise them over everyone else."

Camila smiles up at Lauren, a silent thank you for understanding. "It's good that they do like you then, cause I'd hate to stop kissing you," she teases, head tilting up as she presses her lips to the line of Lauren's jaw.

"Same," is all Lauren replies, because what is she even supposed to say to that? 'Thank you'? Romance has never been a natural thing for her, and even with Camila, with the flirty comments she makes, an effort is made for her words to come off as smooth. Previous boyfriends always had that problem with her, saying she was never as affectionate, and eventually, Lauren would figure out that maybe it was because she didn't like them that much. Camila, however, she likes. A lot. So far, that's as far as her feelings for the girl goes, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't see potential for her feelings to grow. But for now, heated makeout sessions and more innocent cuddles are enough for her.

"Tell me something I don't know about you," Camila's murmur breaks Lauren away from her thoughts.

"Well," she starts, "I'm scared of heights but I love to do stupid things in high places."

"Like?"

"I went bungee jumping and sky diving last year. Almost shat myself, but it was fun."

"You're a brave soul," Camila compliments.

"Yeah, and I really want to go cliff jumping one of these days. We should go together," Lauren suggests, squeezing at Camila's waist.

"Yeah, no." The girl shakes her head. "Been there, done that, never doing it again."

"Why?" Lauren pouts.

"Nope. Worst experience of my life. I think I broke my asshole that day, no thank you."

"Looks fine to me," Lauren says, peeking over Camila's body to give her ass a once over, patting lightly at her butt.

"Seriously, I swear I almost died. My butt was red for like a week. I think Dinah posted the video to YouTube or something."

"Kinky," Lauren teases, earning a slap on her arm. "You really like spanking, huh?" she adds, getting another one, this time harder.

Camila gives her a look that tells her to shut up, and she abides, not wanting to get a harder hit from the girl.

They're quiet for awhile, kind of like last night at the beach, just soaking in each other's company, but instead, Lauren's the one cuddling Camila this time. It scares the hell out of her how comfortable she is with Camila, open to showing the girl the different sides to her. It helps that they have so much in common too, that they're both raised from the same type of family, that they're both in the industry, that they both share the same values and interests - it's just so much easier bonding when there's a lot to bond over.

"What's this mean?" she hears, finds Camila tracing her fingertips over the ink etched into the skin of her forearm where her sleeve has ridden up.

"Twenty seven for my birthday," she tells her.

"Of?"

"June," Lauren answers, her own fingers tracing at Camila's bare shoulder.

"What about the one on the back of your neck?"

"I wish I had a cool story for that one," Lauren starts, her own free hand moving up to touch at the nape of her neck, "but I really just think dragonflies are pretty and yeah," she shrugs. "I'm not that interesting."

Camila shrugs as well, "You don't have to have a story behind everything. Some things don't need to have a deeper meaning, it can just be, you know? Besides you make up for that by being interesting in every other way, so."

She's overcome by a sudden urge to kiss her, and so she does, tilts Camila's chin up and presses their lips together. The angle is awkward on Lauren's neck, but she couldn't care less, instead, pressing deeper into Camila, their breaths mingling.

Camila draws their lips apart first, smile gracing her face as she does.

"I could stay like this all night," Camila says, legs intertwining with Lauren's.

"Mhm," Lauren hums out her agreement, pulling Camila closer into her.

"Sleep here tonight," Camila says, as if Lauren was even able to pull herself away from the smaller girl.

"Your parents, won't mind?" she asks halfheartedly.

Camila just shakes her head, and whether or not Lauren believes Camila actually thinks so, she doesn't question it, choosing to accept that she's going to be falling asleep and waking up next to someone she really likes.

"Okay," she says, pressing a kiss to the crown of Camila's head.

As the night ages, between cuddles and hushed words, they end up snuggled under the covers, positions switched once more as Lauren finds herself ending up in Camila's arms when they finally doze off.

This, Lauren thinks, lying here with Camila next to her, the very scent of her, her comforting presence embracing her, this she could get used to.

-/-

She sneaks Lauren out just past eight, Camila waking first, nudging the other girl awake to get up before her parents find Lauren in her bed. Dressed in her sweater and shorts from last night, hair a mussed mess, Lauren lets Camila drag her down the steps, solely depending on her guidance, her eyes barely able to open as she follows. Camila thrusts a to-go mug of coffee in Lauren's hands before she presses a chaste kiss to her lips, and pushes her out of the door, a hushed 'Drive safe and text me when you're back' whispered before she closes it shut.

Camila's still in awe of last night. She doesn't get how anything she does with Lauren gets her so flustered, even as innocent a thing as sleeping (in its most pure meaning). She's fallen asleep twice now with Lauren in her arms, and she doesn't think any other feeling could possibly compare to her being the last thing Camila sees before she closes her eyes, and the first thing she sees after she opens them. Even in the early morning, groggy from sleep, Lauren's still the most beautiful thing Camila's seen; her eyes a darker shade closer to grey, hair a mess, face completely bare without makeup, and yet Camila stands by her words. She's completely besotted by Lauren, the--

"For someone who's not your girlfriend, you two sure spend a lot of time together."

"Fuuc-"  she turns so suddenly, so quickly she's sure she gets whiplash, finding her father standing by the living room, leaning against the archway pane, a look she can't quite read on his face. "Papi," Camila starts, trying to calm herself, collecting her thoughts to try and string any kind of excuse together, "I- she just- we didn't- we just slept toget- I mean- like sleep-sleep- we haven't even had sex ye--" she clutches her hand over her mouth, a little too late, her rambling revealing a little too much.

Her father looks more than amused at her confession, the smile on his face only making Camila redder than she already is. "Too much information, mija," he teases.

"Oh my God," she flushes, "I'm just gonna-" she points up the stairs, not even waiting for father's reply before she runs up and swings the door shut behind him.

She hides her face in her pillow, too overcome by embarrassment, but when her phone dings, she forces herself up to check who'd be texting her this early in the morning.

 ** _[8:23am] lauren j_** **_sent an image_**

**__ **

**_[8:23am] you're such a basic bitch_ **

_Of course, Lauren._

**_[8:24am] but thanks for the coffee camz_ **

**_[8:24am] literally saved my life_ **

**_[8:24am] 8 am is too early to wake up_ **

**_[8:24am] ever_ **

_[8:25am] am not_

_[8:25am] Dinah bought it for me ok_

_[8:25am] and at least you weren't caught by your dad_

_[8:25am] you can still enjoy your day without being completely embarrassed_

**_[8:36am] wait wHATT_ **

**_[8:36am] your dad saw you sneaking me out????!_ **

**_[8:36am] CAMZ IM COMING OVER FOR THANKSGIVING ITS GOING TO BE SO AWKWARD_ **

**_[8:36am] AND IM HOME SAFE RN BUT BACK TO ^^_ **

_[8:37am] oh god i almost forgot about that_

_[8:37am] no no it'll be cool don't you dare bail on me now_

_[8:37am] and good_

_[8:37am] that you're home safe i mean_

_[8:37am] and also imightatoldhimthatwehaventhadsexyetso LOL_

**_[8:40am] it better be the early morning that's messing my sight up and not that you said that you told your dad about our sex life_ **

_[8:42am] don't you mean lack of sex life_

_[8:42am] jKKKK but ya i mighta told him that_

**_[8:43am] we'll fix that easily._ **

**_[8:43am] but CAMZ_ **

**_[8:43am] wtf_ **

**_[8:43am] wait so that means he knows that we're *hanging out*?_ **

**_[8:43am] WAIT HE KNOWS YOURE GAY??_ **

_[8:45am] 1. please don't flirt with me rn_

_[8:45am] 2. yeah i mean he caught me sneaking you out so i guess he saw me kiss you so yea??_

_[8:45am] and also i did tell both my parents that i was going out to the beach with you that night sooo_

_[8:46am] 3. and right yeaaaah_

_[8:46am] i kinda came out to my mom last week_

_[8:46am] well more like she knew all along and she made a mention in passing and like apparently both her and my dad knew so_

**_[8:49am] and he's okay with me like hanging with you like that??_ **

**_[8:49am] i'm so proud of you camz!!_ **

**_[8:49am] wait, they are supportive of you right?_ **

**_[8:50am] but shittt, how was it? i'm guessing you cried_ **

_[8:51am] he's probably going to give you a whole interrogation/speech_

_[8:52am] but uh if that's too coupley for you i can ask him to back off tonight_

_[8:52am] he's probs excited he's finally getting to do this lol_

_[8:52am] but yeah they are. surprisingly_

_[8:52am] well not surprising really, just didn't know they'd be so welcoming, you know? they're pretty religious_

_[8:52am] it was right before the AMAs actually.. and yea.. i might've cried just a little_

**_[8:53am] it's chill camz i can handle some questions haha_ **

**_[8:53am] just nothing in front of my parents. they still don't know and i don't think i'm telling them anytime soon so_ **

(Camila swears she feels her heart drop reading those words. Lauren doesn't plan on telling her parents that she's bi anytime in the near future, which means Lauren doesn't plan on telling her parents about Camila, and that just makes her heart ache. Camila would flaunt Lauren off to her parents, bring her to every single dinner and family function if she could, but apparently telling her parents about Camila is the last thing on Lauren's mind.

Camila's in constant conflict: on one hand, she completely respects that Lauren isn't ready yet; but on the other, she just wishes both her and Lauren were at the same points in their lives when it comes to their sexualities.

It fucking hurts to read those words but Camila replies anyway.)

_[8:53am] yeah don't worry about that_

**_[8:53am] was that why you were so smiley the whole award show?? but aw, i'm so happy for you <3_ **

**_[8:53am] i've got some friends whose families weren't so welcoming so i'm glad your parents aren't like that_ **

_[8:54am] yeah i'm really lucky to have them. it'd kill me if they couldn't accept me_

_[8:54am] BUUUTTTTT moving on_

_[8:54am] you're a really nice pillow to hug_

**_[9:01am] you're like a cuddle monster ffs_ **

**_[9:01am] you're basically a koala_ **

_[9:04am] i'm taking that as a compliment so tqvm_

**_[9:04am] it is a complient_ **

**_[9:05am] but fml i'm so sleepy rn_ **

**_[9:05am] so goodnight babe_ **

**_[9:05am] i'm going back to sleep bye bye see you tonight camz xoxo_ **

**_[9:05am] happy thanksgiving_ **

**_[9:05am] i'm thankful for having your arms to sleep in <3_ **

_[9:31am] why do you say such cute things when i'm in the shower!!!!_

_[9:31am] but okay, night (morning) laur, see you tonight xx_

_[9:32am] i'm so thankful for you, like you don't even know._

Camila sighs as she taps on the send, her mind just replaying the last 10 hours - well, however long she was awake in the last 10 hours, really. She's still in awe of Lauren's morning glow (more like Lauren's every moment glow, but--), still in disbelief that she'd stayed, even more amazed that she'd come over in the first place.

Her slip up to her father withstanding, the simple thought of Lauren makes Camila grin like a fool. She could barely care less that her father knows about her lack of sex life, not when Lauren's being, well, Lauren.

Camila's so overwhelmed by the events of the past few days that she doesn't even take into consideration of the early morning and the time difference before she scrolls through her phone to find Dinah's contact number.

_calling dinah j..._

"C'mon, pick up," Camila murmurs as the line continues beeping.

It takes four dial tones before the line is answered.

_"No, goodby--"_

"Wait! I need to--"

_"Mila it's six am, I'm going to kill--"_

"I slept with Lauren," Camila manages to get in before Dinah tries to hang up.

She hears the rustling of sheets on the other end of the call, her words working to wake Dinah up apparently.

_"You did what with who?! When did this happen? How did it happen? Did y'all have sex in your house? How did it even-? Is scissoring real or a lesbian myth? How was it? Oh my God, lil Mila's lost her V card! Tell me everything!"_

Dinah's gushing makes Camila flush scarlet, so red that if Dinah could see her she'd laugh.

"Well," Camila starts, working into the truth, "I might've mislead you on that to keep you on the line..."

 _"Karla Camila Cabello, if you tell me that by 'sleeping with Lauren' you meant literally sleeping with Lauren, I am going to kill you myself,"_ Dinah grits out, Camila can already imagine the annoyance on the girl's face, grimacing at the thought of it.

"Well-"

_"Okay, goodbye I'm going back to-"_

"Wait! Please, I just really need to talk to you about everything."

_"Mila, it's 6am, I'll call you-"_

"I think I'm falling for her."

The other end of the line is silent, and Camila can almost hear her heart beat a staccato in her chest at the quiet.

"Dinah?"

There's a sigh from her end, then, _"C'mon, tell me everything."_

So she does.

She tells her about the AMAs and how she'd come out to her mother, tells her about how fucking ethereal Lauren looked during the award show, how even though she's been performing for crowds for almost four years now, she's never quite felt as complete as she did when she was on the stage singing with Lauren. She tells Dinah of the unwarranted jealousy that coursed through her at the sight of Lauren and Lucy, tells her about the drunk texting and Lauren's _i rly rly rly rly like you_ confession to Camila, and how Camila really really really really really likes her too. Camila gushes over the fact that it was Lauren that had wanted to see her the first night she'd landed in Miami, that it was Lauren that picked her up and taken her to the beach _(her beach),_ that it was Lauren who'd stayed in Camila's arms the whole night, that it was Lauren who Camila woke up to. She tells Dinah how she swears her heart swells a bit more every time their lips touch, at every sweet nothing whispered late in the night. She talks about Lauren and Sofi, how she's over the moon about the fact that Sofi likes Lauren and that Lauren likes Sofi, how they'd just lay in her bed all night, talking about everything and anything, how comfortable and at home she'd felt in Lauren's arms. She mentions that the Jaureguis are coming over to the Cabellos for dinner tonight, and how she's oddly nervous over the fact that she's meeting Lauren's family, when she really doesn't have the right to- not when they're not girlfriends or anything, not when they can't even act anything close to girlfriends because Lauren's not out yet, and while Camila respects that, all she wants to do is kiss and hug and hold Lauren in front of her own parents. She tells Dinah how she thinks she's falling for Lauren, and how she knows it's too soon, and how she's fucking terrified.

 _"Oh, Mila,"_ Dinah sighs when Camila finally pauses for breath.

"I don't know what to do, Di."

_"First off, at least this whole thing isn't one sided. Lauren looks at you like you've hung the goddamn stars too or something sappy like that. She cares for you a lot, even if her feelings for you aren't quite at the level of yours for her."_

Camila lets out a long breath, a breath that sounds so hopeless that Dinah rushes back into reassure.

 _"But you have to remember that you're a hopeless romantic, Chanch - not everyone watches The Notebook religiously,"_ she lets out a huff of laughter. " _But trust me, just hold on and she'll be there in no time. Who wouldn't fall in love with you? I mean especially with that ass,"_ Dinah jokes, managing to crack a smile on Camila's lips.

_"It's only been a week since y'all starting bumping uglies, so ya gotta chill, girl."_

"I know," Camila whines, "but I've liked her for way longer - probably from that first dinner all those months ago, and those times in the studio with her, fuck, Dinah - I swear I died a little each time. She's just so smart, and talented, and her mind is just so beautiful. And she was perfect with Sofi, and I just- ugh," she gushes, unable to really express what she means to say.

 _"I get you,"_ Dinah says, and of course she does. If there's anyone who could get Camila, it's Dinah Jane Hansen _. "But just don't freak her out and accidentally say you love her so soon or something. I don't know her too well, but I have a feeling she might run if you rush things too quickly, okay?"_

"You're right," Camila agrees, nodding to herself. "When did you get so wise, huh?" she jokes, kinda wanting to conclude this talk of Lauren.

 _"I've got my moments,"_ she replies, and Camila already knows without having to see that Dinah shrugs at that. _"Turns out, those moments come at 6 fucking am."_

"I love you, Chancho," Camila then says because she does genuinely mean it. She doesn't know what she'd do without Dinah, doesn't know where she'd be if she didn't have her as her own personal bodyguard-cum-therapist-cum-sister.

_"I love you too, Cheech, but if you don't need me now, Imma catch up on my beauty sleep."_

"Please, as if you need beauty sleep, but really, thank you so much. You're the best. Happy Thanksgiving, Di, I love you and I'm so thankful you've been my sister for these past eight years."

 _"Ngaw, save ya sappy words for Lauser. But Happy thanksgiving, Mila. Love ya, I'll text ya later,"_ she says, adding an exaggerated kissing sound before she says bye and ends the call.

And as much as Camila wants to roll her eyes at Dinah's words, she can't help but smile, knowing herself that she in fact will save her sappy words for Lauren.

-/-


	17. part seventeen

The guests start filing in a little past eight, their house filling up with the familiar faces of family and friends and family friends, aunties and uncles pulling Camila into bone-crushing hugs as they pepper kisses all over her face, different versions of 'You're so big now Karla!' and 'When are you bringing someone home for us to meet?' being heard all night. Between avoiding talk of boyfriends and such, Camila's busy juggling helping her mother out with serving the food, and trying not to think about the fact that the Jaureguis are going to arrive in twenty minutes (according to Lauren's text).

She's lucky her mother's working her to the bone that she barely has the time to dwell on the fact that she'll be meeting Lauren's family in exactly-

-she slips her phone out from her back pocket to check the time and--

Ding.

Fuck. That's the door and everyone who's supposed to be here is already here besides the Jaureguis, which can only mean that- it's the Jaureguis.

She doesn't know if the cropped blouse she's wearing, together with the pair of high waisted faded jeans are going to leave a good first impression on Lauren's parents, doesn't know if her makeup makes her look sweet, or if it's just enough or if it's way too much. She doesn't know what impression her house is going to leave on the Jaureguis, isn't sure if Lauren's siblings are going to feel comfortable with a room full of people they don't know, hopes that there are other people around their ages that they can talk to. She doesn't know a lot of things, and she also apparently doesn't know how to answer the door.

"I've got it!" she hears her father call out, his voice interrupting her worries, only to find her mother staring her down with a stern look, shaking her head before she hurries off to entertain the rest of the guests.

She finds her father at the door, his back facing her as he greets the guests (the Jaureguis, the Jaureguis, the Jaureguis) his booming voice reverberating all through the walls of the house.

When Camila finally musters up the nerve to appear by her father's side, she's met with four kind faces. She immediately recognises Taylor and Chris, they having recently featured on Lauren's Instagram, but it takes her a second longer to place her parents after a moment of staring, finding similar features Lauren's inherited from them. Which speaking of whom, Lauren's, well, she's not there.

Camila's frown must be self explanatory, because that's when Chris speaks up, sending her a short wave when he explains, "She's on a call but she's coming," pointing over behind him, where Lauren's silhouette leans against their car, her hand holding her phone up to her ear.

Camila flashes him an appreciative smile at that, before she turns to properly introduce herself to the Jaureguis. Both adults immediately correct her the moment she refers to them as Mr. and Mrs. Jauregui, instead, asking for her to call him by their first names. Chris introduces himself after, not that it's really needed. He carries himself with the same type of confidence that Lauren does, both seemingly having that same aura. Taylor, however, is more nervous. Camila doesn't know much about her, just knows from Lauren that she's a fan, and that may play a factor as to why she's stuttering out her name, to which Camila just smiles, saying 'You're Taylor. Lauren's talked to me about you before,' working to make the girl flush scarlet. Her father ushers them into the house, Mike and Clara proceeding to be greeted by her mother in the living area, while Chris and Taylor fidget behind.

"Head to the back," Camila suggests, nudging at both siblings, "The pool's out there and there are more people our age," she explains, the two shooting her a grateful look before following to where she'd pointed at.

They've arrived over five minutes ago, and still Lauren's no where in sight, the door having been left slightly ajar so that she'd be able to let herself in and yet she's seems to still be occupied by her call. Camila reasons that it has to be work, or something else important, and so she shrugs it off, instead making small talk with Lauren's mother, making sure to whip out some Spanish just in hopes that it'll work to impress. Clara walks the line between friendly-mom and stern-mom all too well, but it's fine since one of the few things Camila manages to balance well is the line between respectful and friendly. The fathers have hit it off, her own going on about something that sounds a lot like sports that Camila just kind of blurs out, letting it fade into the background noise. She spies from her spot in the room that Chris and Taylor are mingling with some family friends by the pool, Chris seemingly more comfortable with conversation compared to his sister. And talking about sisters, Chris' older one is still MIA.

Camila's just about to ask Clara if she knew where Lauren was when her phone vibrates in her back pocket of her jeans.

**_[9:21pm] i'm at the door_ **

It's Lauren. Camila breathes.

_[9:21pm] it's open, just come in_

**_[9:22pm] must've closed on me_ **

**_[9:22pm] mind opening it for me?_ **

"Huh," Camila lets out, brows furrowing in confusion at Lauren's words.

"Everything okay?" Clara asks over her drink, an eyebrow quirked at Camila's reaction.

"Si, lo siento," she replies, nodding her head. "Lauren's at the door," she explains, nodding towards where they'd just come from. "Do you need anything else before I get her? Some food? Another drin-"

Clara smiles a soft smile, a gentle laugh graces her lips, "No, no, Camila, don't worry. Go get her," she says, softly shooing her away.

And Camila abides, knowing to never dispute a Hispanic mother, no matter whose mother she is.

But when she gets to the door, it's left wide open, and she's just getting more and more confused. As she peaks her head out from the threshold of her house, she's met with nothing and no one, just the cool night air gently grazing at her skin.

She glances down to her phone. Lauren did say that she was at the door, righ--

"Mmph!" Camila struggles, her mouth being silenced as something grabs at her waist, pulling her outside and away from the door.

She's this close to elbowing her assailant in the gut when she feels an all too familiar press of lips against her neck. She doesn't hesitate as she melts into it (-though she knows she really should just double check before letting someone who'd just grabbed her kiss her neck, but she knows whose lips those belong to, would know them in any scenario), relaxing into the arms that hold her waist.

"Happy thanksgiving," she hears, that raspy voice she'd fallen asleep to for the past two nights whispers in her ear.

Camila tilts her head, her eyes meeting grey and green eyes, those very same eyes that have haunted her dreams since the first time their lips first touched, probably since longer before.

Camila feels her lips stretch into a smile, and Lauren must feel it too since her hand is still tightly clutched over her mouth. So, when she does remove her hand, Lauren leaves a kiss on Camila's grinning lips, letting her own linger for long enough to not be chaste, but short enough that it doesn't escalate into anything more.

(Not that Camila would deny her that.)

(Not that Camila would - or could - deny her anything.)

"Happy thanksgiving, Laur," she says back, turning in her arms so she can wrap Lauren up in her own.

"Sorry I took so long," Lauren apologises, pressing a peck to the corner of Camila's mouth, "Lucy had some girl problems," she adds as explanation.

Camila's brows furrow for a fraction of a second, that familiar pang of jealousy once again bubbling up in her stomach, but then she remembers not exclusive and Lucy's just a friend and Lauren's in her arms, and it disappears before it's really there, before Lauren can catch it.

"Don't worry about it," Camila reassures, "I was bonding with your mom."

"Oh God - she didn't say anything embarrassing did she?" Lauren asks lightly, but then her face contorts into something more serious, a kind of panic washes over her features, then- "Wait, you didn't say anything about, uh, us or anything righ--"

She jumps so quickly to reassure Lauren that she doesn't even give herself the time to feel hurt at the accusation, to feel hurt at the fact that Lauren's so terrified over Camila letting their dirty little secret out of the bag.

"No, god no! Lauren, I'd never go behind your back, you have to know that by now I'd never out you, I'd never out anyone."

Relief runs over Lauren's face, the breath she lets out brushes at Camila's.

"Yeah, I know, I'm just-"

She stops herself, seemingly unable to find the right word.

"Yeah," Camila nods. She understands. At least she tries. Unlike Lauren, Camila never outwardly hid her sexuality. Whether or not she ever came out was a different matter. If asked, she'd never deny that she preferred girls over guys. So, she tries to put herself in Lauren's place, tries to make herself understand why Lauren's so scared. She knows this is why Lauren had played out the little act of saying the door was locked, knows that probably the moment they both step back into the party, Lauren wouldn't as much as touch her. Since their first kiss, something has shifted between them when it comes to the public. 

Camila tries to understand. 

"And, uh-" she adds, her voice quieter, "don't worry, I told my dad not to tease us or say anything."

"Good," Lauren says, relieved, and while it may work to lift a weight off Lauren's shoulders, it just feels like a fucking grand piano has been dropped onto Camila's.

So, she's the first one to pull away, removing her arms from around Lauren's waist, extracting herself from the warm embrace before Lauren can feel the sudden weight perched atop Camila's shoulders. At the confusion that plays at Lauren's thick brows, Camila distracts, grabbing her hand with the excuse that they should return to the party before anyone comes out or begins to suspect anything.

Lauren doesn't argue with that.

-/-

To be fair, with how the night started, it does turn out to be a good thanksgiving party.

By the end of the night, Camila's cheeks are sore from the pinching they get from various aunties, her jeans are much tighter than before thanks to her mother's desserts, and her lips kinda hurt from all the laughing and smiling that the Jauregui siblings are responsible for.

By the time the guests clear out, she's so full that she leaves her jeans unbuttoned, struggling to move around and help her mother clean up. Sofi's dead asleep, and while Camila wanted to wake her up to get her to help out, her parents had used the 'she's young and tired, let her rest' card.

The Jaureguis stay.

It's on the insistence of Clara, hushing Camila's own mother when Sinu had assured that they'd be okay to clear up on their own. "It's the least we can do," Clara reasons, a kind smile on her face that's replaced immediately with a stern look as she turns to her three kids, ordering for them to get moving and bring the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

Chris grumbles and his father smacks the back of his head at the same time Lauren elbows his side, sending his sister a dirty look as he moves to grab some plates on the way to the sink.

Camila laughs at the sight. She never really had that playful sibling feel, not with the huge age gap between her and Sofi. It's cute, to see how they are together, to see Lauren in her big sister pants.

Her father chides at her for standing idly by, and so she rushes off to the pool area to clear up there.

Lauren finds her there not a minute later.

"Need help?" she asks, catching Camila as she struggles to bend down to grab the paper cup that lay on the ground.

"I think I gained at least ten pounds," she says, shaking her head as she reaches for the rubbish.

"Please," Lauren rolls her eyes, making her way over as she helps by holding open the black trash bag as Camila tosses the paper plates and cups into it, "You eat like a McDonald-obsessed 11-year-old boy, but you still have the body of a VS angel. All that food just goes straight to your ass, and I am thankful for that," she says suggestively, smirk playing at her lips.

"Shut up," Camila scolds, tossing an empty cup at her. Lauren just grins as she picks it up from the ground. "Thanks for coming tonight," Camila murmurs, smile just barely gracing her lips, a sudden shyness coming over her, eyes downcast.

She wants to reach out and lay kisses all over Lauren's face, make her really know how grateful she is for Lauren accepting the invitation, but she knows the rules, so she doesn't dare move from her spot, afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself if she stepped any closer.

But Lauren does.

She takes two strides towards Camila, and while she did notice that the other girl looked around first to make sure no one was looking, it still fucking makes her heart flutter. She takes Camila's hand in hers, the soft skin of her thumb grazing the back of Camila's palm.

"Free food and a night spent with you? How could I not come?"

"You're cute," Camila says for what must be the 50th time to Lauren.

"Doesn't that mean you have to kiss me?" she teases.

And as much as Camila wants to, right now she needs confirmation from Lauren that it's okay for her to lean in. So she stays put, simply biting at her lip as she stares at Lauren's. Lauren must understand, because then she's the one raising her hand, her thumb swiping across Camila's plump lip, eyes fluttering shut as she slowly falls into Camila. She can feel Lauren's lips hovering over her own, there's a tingling feeling of that building suspense in the seconds before their mouths touch, and just as Camila's about to close at the slight gap--

"Lauren!"

A for pushes at her shoulders and she feels herself being pulled backwards-

"Are you done out there?"

Camila doesn't see it coming, already uncoordinated enough as it is, and so she doesn't manage to stabilise herself in time, her feet tripping over themselves-

"Mom wants us to-"

Camila falls back, her balance off, foot slipping in a wet puddle, and-

Splash.

"Woah," she hears the same time a hushed, "Fuck!" is let out by Lauren.

Any leftover sleepiness from her food coma is gone now when she's washed over drenched in water, the sudden taste of chlorine bitter on her tongue as she splutters pool water out of her mouth.

When she finally manages to find her footing, tip toeing at the blue tiled floor as she wades at the water, she finds Lauren's guilt stricken face, her mouth falling ajar as she looks horrified. Behind her, Chris stands with his brows furrowed at the scene.

"What on earth happened?"

Lauren visibly jumps at her brother's voice, turning so quickly Camila's almost worried she too is gonna trip and fall into the pool.

"I- uh," Lauren stutters out, unable to come up with a reasoning.

"I fell," Camila voices out, interrupting Lauren before the girl comes up with something stupid and completely unbelievable. "I tripped and slipped and I fell."

Lauren's head darts back to Camila, a mixture of panic and relief on her face, before she turns back to Chris. "Yeah."

Chris arches his brows in the same way Lauren does. "Why'd you look so guilty? Did you push her in, Laur?" he accuses, though his tone is playful.

"I- no, I didn't- why would I even-"

"Jeez, Laur, I was kidding," he says lightly, not thinking much of it as he makes his way around Lauren, moving to the edge of the pool, crouching as he holds a hand out for Camila.

It takes Camila a moment for her to realise that he's offering her help to get out, but her eyes dart down to her shirt: her blouse completely drenched, the sheer white material of it revealing the lacy bra she wears underneath and she flushes at the sight.

"Um, can you grab me a towel first? My shirt and my- can you get the towel?" she asks instead, and realisation seems to hit Chris when he nods fervently, making sure his eyes are trained anywhere besides Camila's body, before he gets up and heads back into the house.

"Fuck," Lauren curses, running her hand that isn't still clutching at the trash bag through her hair. "I'm so sorry, Camz," she apologises, kind of frozen still at her spot, unsure of what really to do.

"Don't worry about it," Camila brushes off, splashing some water onto her own face. "You should- you go inside," she tells her, "Chris'll get me the towel and I'll meet you inside once I've dried off a little."

It seems to get to Lauren that there really isn't much to do, so she just nods, another 'sorry' being murmured out as she collects the last of the rubbish before she heads in.

Chris reappears not a minute later, holding open the towel for Camila as she climbs out of the pool, then wraps it around her shoulders. "You're okay?" he asks, smiling softly at her.

"Yeah," she nods, "Go ahead inside," she says.

He doesn't argue with her, leaving Camila outside to dry off.

When she gets in, the Jaureguis are already by the door.

"Again, mija?" her father teases. "You've got to work on your coordination."

"I-" she glances at Lauren, who flushes read refusing to look at her, "Yeah, well, I get my clumsy genes from somewhere," she retorts right back at her father, playful smile on her face. 

"That was one time," he huffs back, her mother joining in with a chuckle.

"Well, we're headed off now," Clara announces, placing her arm around Taylor's shoulders. "Thank you so much for the food and hospitality, Sinu," she smiles at her mother, turning to her father, "and for putting up with Mike," she jokes.

"Yeah that was probably more tiring than hosting the whole party," Chris chimes in, earning another smack to the back of his head from his dad. "Kidding."

"Right we better get a move on," Mike says, "Let Camila not freeze to death in those wet clothes," he mentions, nodding at a (only slightly) shivering Camila.

Her father ushers them out, shaking Mike's hand, hugging Clara, while her mother just goes on and hugs everyone. Camila stands idly behind, sending short waves to each of them, not really taking her arms out of the comfort of the towel.

Her parents head back into the house as the Jaureguis make their way to their car, Camila hanging back by the door until they get in. Her parents must know that she'd wanted to have even the smallest moment with just her and Lauren, her mother whispering something in her father's ear before they'd turned and left.

So, Camila waits. Mike hops into the drivers seat while Clara settles in the passenger. Chris scoots from one end of the car into the other end, allowing for Taylor to squeeze in the middle seat. Lauren's just about to slide in next to her sister when she turns, eyes finding Camila's. Camila's prepared for just a short smile and a wave before she heads in, but instead, Lauren turns fully, quickening her pace as she makes her way over to Camila.

"Bye," she says, her voice hushed, as though she were uttering her deepest secret. She takes Camila's hand in hers, though Camila doesn't miss how Lauren had positioned her body so that the gesture would be blocked from her family's sight. "I'm sorry for-" she nods vaguely up and down Camila's figure, but she shrugs it off, sending her a reassuring smile. "Call me later okay?" she says, leaning in and before Camila can tell her not to hug her, her body still damp with chlorine water, Lauren closes the gap between their bodies, front pressed flushed to one another. The embrace is a second too long to be just a friendly goodbye hug, and Lauren must realise that, because she's abruptly pulling away before Camila can't stop herself from nuzzling her face into the crook of Lauren's neck.

"Bye," Camila lets out, not allowing herself to add anything on to it. She steps back, putting more space between them as she nods towards where Lauren's family waits for her.

"Call me okay?"

Camila nods, presses on a smile as Lauren walks back towards where she'd just come.

She resolves that at least they'll still talk later, and Lauren will say sweet things that will make Camila forget every unwarranted hurt she'd felt over the night, that Lauren will say something cute and all Camila will want is to be in Lauren's arms all over again, just the two of them. At least they'll have that, she smiles thinking of it, waving at the family as they pull away from the drive.

Once she's back inside and upstairs, she finds herself itching  to send Lauren a proper thank you for having her family come over, not satisfied with her simple bye from earlier. So, hair still damp, towel still slung over her shoulders, she slides her phone from the the back pocket of her jeans, moving to sit on the foot of her bed. 

It doesn't occur to her that she's just taken her phone out from her still-wet jean-pocket, and she still doesn't put the pieces together when her phone doesn't light up when she presses the home button. She holds frustratedly on the lock button, shaking at the device, brows furrowing at why her phone won't-- Oh. 

Well, looks like that call to Lauren's going to have to wait. 


	18. part eighteen

_[11/25/2016]_

**_[01:17am] missed call from lauren j_ **

**_[01:32am] missed call from lauren j_ **

-/-

**_lauren j_ **

**_[01:34am] hey, you must’ve fallen asleep, so goodnight xx I’ll call you again tomorrow_ **

**_[01:34am] well, today_ **

**_[01:34am] night camz x_ **

-/-

**_[09:18am] missed call from ally b_ **

-/-

**_ally b_ **

**_[09:20am] Morning Mila!! Okay before you hate me or anything just know that I hate asking you to do this as much as you hate doing it but I need you to like a tweet about you and Charlie Puth on Twitter when you can_ **

**_[09:20am] I’ll send you the link_ **

**_[09:22am] Please don’t hate me! I swear I tried to get them to work another angle to promote your collab with him, but I think they’re trying to do the whole are they/are they not together thing again so_ **

**_[09:23am] I’m REALLY sorry I have to ask you to do it when you’re on break. You know how much I hate asking you for this_ **

**_[09:23am] I’ll bake you a whole tray of cookies to make up for it_ **

**_[09:23am] And before I forget! Safe flight tomorrow, Mila! Love you xx_ **

-/-

**_lauren j_ **

**_[11:02am] good morning camz xx_ **

**_[11:02am] I just woke up but I think I’m still full from your mom’s cooking_ **

**_[11:03am] please let her know how much I loved her food!_ **

**_[11:31am] psst why aren’t you awake yet_ **

**_[11:32am] are you mad about the pool thing :/_ **

**_[11:32am] I really am sorry babe_ **

**_[11:34am] I swear I’m not trying to hide us that badly or anything, I guess I was just scared in that moment and you know what we have is new, but camz, I swear I really adore you_ **

**_[11:34am] I’m not ashamed of you, I promise._ **

**_[11:35am] fuck, if I could I’d be making out with you in front of everyone but you and I both know it’s harder than just that_ **

**_[11:41am] okay well when you do wake up, I just want you to know that I do fucking adore the hell out of you_ **

-/-

**_lauren j_ **

**_[01:21pm] okay idk if you’re awake yet or you’re ignoring me or something else_ **

**_[01:21pm] either way, I miss you :(_ **

**_[01:22pm] I’m flying back to LA tonight_ **

**_[01:22pm] maybe we can have that dinner date I promised you awhile back?_ **

**_[01:31pm] reply me when you can_ **

**_[01:32pm] missin ya cute butt and warm hugs_ **

-/-

**_dinah j_ **

**_[04:11pm] ok why are both ally and normani blastin me over where tf u are_ **

**_[04:11pm] well, it’s more ally and lauren, but the message was conveyed via normani so_ **

**_[04:11pm] ya gurl whipped yo_ **

**_[04:11pm] can’t even go a day w/o u textin her_ **

**_[04:11pm] and u were worried she wouldn’t feel the same way_ **

**_[04:12pm] #whipped_ **

**_[04:12pm] #camrenwillrise_ **

**_[04:15pm] walzzzzzzz_ **

**_[04:15pm] r_ **

**_[04:15pm] u_ **

**_[04:15pm] alive_ **

**_[04:17pm] fml fine I’ll text ya lil sis_ **

-/-

**_lauren j_ **

**_[09:43pm] heya I’ve just left Miami_ **

**_[09:43pm] also, dinah told me about your phone and fuck I’m so sorry_ **

**_[09:43pm] I really hope you can get back whatever was on your old phone when you get a new one_ **

**_[09:44pm] but is it bad that I’m kinda relieved that you don’t hate me and aren’t ignoring me_ **

**_[09:47pm] ok I just reread that and yeah it is kinda bad that I’m feeling relieved_ **

**_[09:47pm] I’m really really really sorry camz_ **

**_[09:47pm] I promise I’ll make up for it by like an unlimited amount of dates on me_ **

**_[09:59pm] ok I’m going to nap bc this flight is boring and I forgot to bring a book_ **

**_[10:00pm] I probably sound pathetic but ugh I miss you and it’s only been a day not talking_ **

**_[10:00pm] I’ll talk to you tomorrow hopefully?_ **

-/-

_[11/26/16]_

**_lauren j_ **

**_[04:09am] landed and otw back now_ **

**_[04:09am] it’s like 12am here but my body clock’s still with florida and fuck you time difference_ **

**_[04:09am] anyway, just wanted to tell you I landed safe_ **

**_[04:10am] idk is that too couple-y_ **

**_[04:10am] wtv I don’t care really_ **

**_[04:11am] okay well goodnight xx_ **

**_[04:11am] (still feeling like absolute shit for fucking up your phone)_ **

-/-

**_lauren j_ **

**_[11:03am] morning camz_ **

-/-

**_@camzicabelloss:_ ** _@CCabelloNews @charlieputh @Q102Philly omg the way Charlie looked at camila awww_

_liked by **Camila Cabello**_

-/-

**_ally b_ **

_[12:02pm] hey, done, and don’t worry about it. I know how it goes_

_[12:03pm] sorry I couldn’t get in touch sooner!! but I assume Dinah told u_

_[12:05pm] oh but don’t think ure off the hook, I still want those cookies_

**_[12:10pm] Yeah I heard. Did you manage to get all your contacts and everything back?_ **

**_[12:11pm] And they’re already waiting for you in your kitchen <3 _ **

_[12:12pm] you’re the best_

_[12:12pm] and yeah kinda. I just lost some of my notes I guess_

_[12:12pm] pretty bummed over that :/_

**_[12:13pm] I’m sorry Mila :( Lyrics?_ **

_[12:13pm] yeah. just rough ones, but there was potential you know_

**_[12:14pm] It’ll come back to you. I trust your brain to come up with something just as beautiful or even more beautiful. You’ll be okay. Love you._ **

_[12:15pm] love you too Allycat <3_

-/-

**_dinah j_ **

**_[12:12pm] dinah j sent a screenshot_ **

**_[12:12pm] glad to see this is the first thing you like on twitter the moment you get your phone back._ **

_[12:16pm] ffs dinah you know it’s part of my job_

**_[12:16pm] is it part of ur job to ignore lauren_ **

**_[12:16pm] don’t u think you’ve made the girl sweat it out enough, she’s freaking tf out and normani and I don’t know what we’re supposed to tell her_ **

_[12:17pm] I’m not ignoring her jeez_

_[12:17pm] I had a lot of catching up to do okay. management’s already up my ass for not trying to get a phone sooner_

_[12:18pm] I think I’m going to fuck my phone up more often. it’s so liberating not having it for those assholes constantly trying to micromanage my image_

_[12:18pm] you think I want to fuel rumours that me and Charlie have anything?_

_[12:18pm] you know I had to unlike a tweet that said how cute me and lauren would be if we were together_

_[12:19pm] it fucking sucks di, but I have to do it bc if not they’ll just not let me make music or something_

_[12:19pm] I’ve read all those stories about young female artists. I can’t let them do that to me all because I didn’t want to retweet or like something_

_[12:19pm] but you bet your ass that if lauren’s ever ready, I’ll fight to my death so that I can come out_

**_[12:21pm] sigh_ **

**_[12:21pm] I get it, Cheech. but just reply her ok? she’s really freaking out_ **

**_[12:21pm] are u mad at her?_ **

_[12:22pm] her? God no!_

_[12:22pm] I’m just pissed in general_

_[12:22pm] stupid icloud didn’t save my notes_

**_[12:24pm] oh shitttt…_ **

**_[12:24pm] how many songs did u have wip_ **

_[12:25pm] just one. but I had like tons of lines that I really really liked_

_[12:25pm] reason #23481024 to never fully trust technology_

**_[12:27pm] aren’t I supposed to be the dramatic one in this friendship_ **

**_[12:27pm] but well shit, that’s a kick in the vag, walz_ **

**_[12:28pm] sorry that’s literally all I can say to help_ **

_[12:29pm] haha its ok that actually made me laugh a little_

_[12:29pm] wtv I’m sure the lyrics weren’t even that good anyway_

_[12:29pm] at least I kinda wrote out the song in my journal_

**_[12:32pm] stfu u and I both know those lyrics were probably hella gorg_ **

**_[12:32pm] I’ll smack u up and down if u ever say anything like that again_ **

_[12:32pm] ily chancho_

**_[12:33pm] ily2 cheech_ **

**_[12:33pm] now go reply ya girl before I smack u up and down for that_ **

-/-

**_@camilacabello97:_ ** _when icloud chooses to only back up things u don’t need, but doesn’t for things u do :) :) :)_

-/-

**_lauren j_ **

_[01:10pm] hey!_

**_[01:10pm] hey!_ **

**_[01:10pm] omg shit_ **

**_[01:10pm] I totally wasn’t just waiting around keeping your chat open for you to reply hahah I’d never do that whaaat_ **

_[01:11pm] omg you’re too cute_

**_[01:11pm] then where’s my kiss?_ **

**_[01:12pm] lauren j sent an image_ **

_[01:13pm] fml I’m leaving Miami tonight but I’m very much considering catching an earlier flight to kiss those lips_

**_[01:14pm] no one’s stopping you._ **

_[01:17pm] I wish :(_

_[01:17pm] and about yesterday…_

_[01:17pm] I’m not mad at you, I don’t think I could ever be really_

_[01:17pm] I fucking adore the hell out of you too, laur_

_[01:18pm] and yeah, trust me, I get how it is_

_[01:18pm] I mean, I’m guessing you saw my twitter?_

**_[01:20pm] uh, yeah I did_ **

_[01:21pm] are_ you _mad?_

**_[01:21pm] what? no! I mean I figured it was for some pr shit_ **

**_[01:21pm] well I mean I hoped?_ **

**_[01:22pm] I wasn’t wrong right in hoping that right?_ **

_[01:22pm] of course not!_

_[01:23pm] even if I wasn’t like totally gay_

_[01:23pm] i ONLY adore you._

_[01:23pm] I meant it when I said I don’t want to see anyone else besides you_

_[01:24pm] and I’m not pressuring you into saying the same. I respect that we CAN see other people. I’m just saying I don’t want to._

**_[01:26pm] I know. I trust you._ **

**_[01:26pm] I just freaked out a little_ **

_[01:26pm] yeah hahah dinah told me_

**_[01:26pm] I mean you were MIA and I didn’t know if you were pissed at me or something_ **

**_[01:27pm] so yeah I kinda freaked out when I saw that you liked that tweet_ **

**_[01:27pm] but I trust you, I swear_ **

**_[01:27pm] and I’m still sorry about your phone_ **

**_[01:28pm] and don’t you dare say its okay_ **

**_[01:28pm] I know I’d kill someone if that happened to me_ **

**_[01:28pm] you don’t have to be nice about it_ **

**_[01:28pm] I’m the asshole that pushed you into the pool because I didn’t want my little brother to catch us kissing_ **

**_[01:28pm] I’m so fucking stupid_ **

**_[01:28pm] and what important thing did you lose? :/_ **

**_[01:29pm] I saw your tweet_ **

_[01:29pm] oh_

_[01:29pm] yeah people weren’t too happy I went off the grid for like a day lol_

_[01:29pm] but nahh just some notes_

**_[01:30pm] what notes?_ **

_[01:30pm] it’s stupid_

**_[01:31pm] camz_ **

_[01:31pm] nono, it was just a list of possible baby names hahah_

_[01:32pm] I mostly remember them anyway_

**_[01:32pm] that’s it?_ **

_[01:32pm] I guess my future babies won’t have the nice names I wanted for him/her :(_

_[01:33pm] and I’ll make sure that eugene herbert cabello and agnes greta cabello will know it’s all because their aunt lauren pushed me into the pool bc she didn’t want to get caught making out_

**_[01:34pm] it’s ok I’ll still love em and I’ll always bring them presents be their favourite aunt_ **

_[01:35pm] oo dinah’s got competition_

**_[01:35pm] pshh as if_ **

_[01:36pm] she’ll actually fight you don’t test her on this_

_[01:39pm] but uh I’ll be back in LA by tonight_

_[01:39pm] can I come over?_

**_[01:42pm] you’re kidding_ **

**_[01:42pm] I was literally about to ask if I could go over to yours once you touched down_ **

**_[01:42pm] I know it’s been like 1 day but fuck I really miss you_ **

**_[01:43pm] I swear I’m never usually this clingy but shit I really want to sleep in your arms tonight_ **

_[01:47pm] omg that’s so gay_

_[01:47pm] I love it_

_[01:47pm] so mine or yours?_

-/-


	19. part nineteen

Over the last few months, Lauren has learned a few things about Camila, and as much as they are alike, they are the complete opposites of each other.

For one, while they both are the most loyal _The 1975_ fans _,_ Lauren’s favourite song is _Undo_ and while she hates to choose between the guys, she _loves_ Matty the most. Meanwhile Camila’s favourite is _Fallingforyou_ and the girl absolutely _adores_ Adam. Where the both of them are huge animal lovers, Camila has a strong stance in the cat/dog debate, but Lauren’s more a _‘I’d rather not have my friends turn against me if I choose the wrong animal’_ person _._ And while Lauren prefers her place to be neat and categorised and in order, Camila, _well_ \- _doesn’t_.

(Honestly, the girl’s a _slob_. As much as Lauren loves going over to Camila’s for a movie or to listen to the music she’s working on or just to _be_ with her, all she wants to do when she’s there is arrange the mess that Camila calls home, sorting through the heap of books that never makes it to the shelves their made for, colour coding the disorder of clothing in her closet. It’s a stark contrast to her room in her house in Miami, which Camila explains to only be remotely neat because her mother would _whoop her ass_ if it wasn’t.

And that’s one thing they have in common: the crippling fear of their mothers engrained into their very souls.)

Lauren learns that Camila loves to help her friends out. And it’s not that Lauren doesn’t either, it’s just they do it in different ways. While Lauren does Alexa and Vero small favours, like buy them things that aren’t available in their own states, or picking them up from the airport, Camila puts Dinah and Ally on her team, appointing the former as her dance captain, and the latter in PR. See, Lauren could never do that – not when she knows how quickly this business turns, and not when she’s learned not to mix personal with professional. She respects Camila for being able to do it for what’s been almost four years now for the girl and managing to keep the friendships intact. Lauren, on the other hand, would’ve likely killed either Alexa or Vero by the end of the second month.

Camila is also more open about her sexuality than Lauren is. She sees how she would blatantly avoid using male pronouns in interviews when asked questions like _‘What do you look for in a guy?’_ or when she’s asked to explain the meanings to her songs. _Lauren_ , she sticks to enunciating on the _he_ s and _him_ s.

So when they’re being interviewed together, on the very same couch she’d sat on alone some months ago, after their _1000 Hands_ performance for the late night talk show, there’s an obvious difference in their answers when Corden asks them:

“ _So_ , anyone special in your lives right now?” he grins a cheeky grin, leaning closer towards them as he directs the question to the both of them.

They’d both discussed this beforehand, knowing exactly that they’d be asked the question, especially when the gossip mill is being fuelled by rumours of Camila and Charlie Puth’s _maybe_ -relationship. Camila had told Lauren that she was free to say anything she wanted - whether she wanted to say she was actually seeing someone (without mentioning any names), or if Lauren wanted to just go ahead and say that she wasn’t.

One more thing that Lauren’s learned about Camila over their time together is that she’s an extreme pushover. The girl lets people walk all over her, and _fuck_ , it pisses Lauren off that she won’t stand up for what she wants. The other night, Camila had suggested pizza for dinner at the same time Lauren had said _sushi_ , and as much as Lauren had pushed for them to go with Camila’s suggestion, the girl had just shaken her head, telling Lauren to go with Japanese. Lauren knows Camila doesn’t even _really_ like sushi, not like she loves pizza. She also knows from Dinah’s snapchat that Camila had ordered a Hawaiian for the two of them later in the night once Lauren had left.

(It was the same with the phone incident. Had Lauren been in Camila’s position, heads would’ve been rolling, but Camila hadn’t even gotten angry at Lauren, instead she’d been making jokes. It gets to Lauren that Camila lets _her_ walk all over her, and it gets to Lauren even more that she can’t stop it from happening. Lauren’s going to keep on walking over Camila, and Camila going to keep on letting her.)

And it happens right then again on live television. She sees how Camila bites at her lips, fingers fiddling, waiting for Lauren to respond first.

If she were a braver person, maybe her answer would be different. But again, she and Camila aren’t that alike.

“No,” Lauren answers, and she pretends to not notice the slight fall in Camila’s face, “No one right now.”

“Well, boys listen up,” James announces to no one and everyone, “Lauren’s single and I’m assuming ready to mingle?” he says, more than asks, brows wiggling at Lauren, and she plasters on a well-rehearsed laugh. “And how about you, Camila?”

Camila lets out a soft chuckle, hers sounding far more genuine than Lauren’s. “Not really, I guess,” she smiles, but ducks her head away.

“ _Not really?”_ he repeats, tease in his accent.

“Yeah,” Lauren watches as Camila nods, hand moving up to tuck the stray hair behind her ear, and thank God for it, because Lauren’s own hand had been itching to do it for her.

“Then maybe I can suggest you some options,” he starts, reaching behind at the desk for the stack of cards that’ve been sitting there for the whole of the interview.

Lauren can feel her jaw clench at the inevitable, her toes curling as she continues to try and force as natural a smile on her red-painted lips. She vaguely hears the crowd _whoop_ and _oooh_ , and Lauren just kind of wants to shake every single audience member and say- and say _what,_ exactly? That Camila is _hers_?

“Oh God no,” she hears Camila let out, a red flush rising up her neck and making its way to her cheeks.

James pulls out the first card, selfie between Camila and someone that basically looks like every other white teenage boy to grace this earth appearing for the audience to _aww_ at, Camila being years younger, and her innocence seemingly apparent to the crowd.

She swears it’s not jealousy that runs through her at the sight of the selfie, that it’s not jealousy that makes her smile drop, not jealousy that keeps her from not even bothering to muster up a faux one. It’s just that he’s absolutely cringe-worthy, Lauren reasons.

“Austin Mahone,” James introduces, as if Camila wouldn’t have known who the boy she was cosying up to in the picture was. “Yay or nay?” he asks, the wide, playful grin on his face telling Lauren that he likely doesn’t know how annoyed this whole _segment_ is making her.

“Oh _God_ ,” Camila repeats, then strongly and shamelessly, “ _Nay_.”

_Ouch_ , must be rough if he were listening in.

Not that Lauren can say she’d empathise with him.

In fact, she can’t even say that the corner of her lips _didn’t_ twitch just the slightest at the sound of Camila’s response.

James nods at that, excited to show the following picture, “Okay _next then_ ,” he starts, flipping over the card, and— _of course_. The _other_ crusty white boy. “Machine Gun Kelly,” he smiles proudly, presenting a frame from what looks like one of their photoshoots together, with him kind of crouching down with his angsty ripped jeans, Camila standing with her hand lazing over his shoulder, unsurprisingly looking as beautiful as ever.

“ _Friend_ ,” Camila clarifies, eyes darting to meet Lauren’s for the briefest of seconds. Lauren knows that their conversation all that time ago in the studio must pop into her head as well. “So, nay.”

“ _Okay_ ,” James drags, though unconvincingly, “Now,” he flips over the next one. “Charlie Puth.”

Camila shakes her head almost immediately. “We’ve been spending time together working on a track for my album and that’s really all I can tell you, but no, I don’t like to mix my private life with my working life,” she explains, and Lauren almost laughs at that. Camila’s whole working life _is_ her private: from her choreographer, to her PR, to the person she’s currently making out with behind closed doors being the very same person that she’d collaborated with on the song they’d _just_ performed. She holds it in though. Camila sends the quickest glare in Lauren’s direction, one so fast that if Lauren wasn’t always staring at Camila, she would’ve missed it.

“So you wouldn’t ever date someone you’re working with?” he asks, and Camila shakes her head, too aggressively to be believable if you asked Lauren. “How about-“ he turns the last picture, “-Shawn Mendes?”

Lauren expects another flat out rejection, another confident _‘Nay,’_ but instead she gets:

“Well, Shawn’s different,” Camila starts, and Lauren stops. Well, her heart stops just a little. “He’s a really good friend. When we worked on our song together last summer we got really close. And he’s just about the nicest person ever. Like there’s no one more genuine than he is, I can assure you. And he has the nicest shoulders to cry on, if I’m being honest. And working with him is _so, so_ great because we just _click_ on that level, _you know?_ _But_ ,” Camila adds after what feels like a fucking hour of singing praises about Shawn fucking Mendes, “like we said the _last_ time we were on the show, _James_ , we’re not dating, and we never were.”

“Aw,” he coos along with the audience. “But between these four boys, who would you choose?”

Lauren’s bracing herself to act as natural as physically possible when Camila will likely choose Shawn, because from her answers, it’s the _obvious_ one, so she keeps a soft laugh at the ready, an _aw_ lined up, a forced teasing look in stow, but instead, the name never comes.

“I’m really not looking for any _boy_ right now,” Camila begins, pressing just the slightest on _boy_ , its weight so light Lauren almost doesn’t catch it, “So, I’m sorry James, I won’t be choosing,” she answers, proud grin challenging a Cheshire cat.

“Fair enough, fair enough,” he nods, the smallest look of disappointment on his face.

Meanwhile, Lauren’s suddenly finding it a lot easier to smile naturally.

“Well, are you girls up to answer some fan questions?” James asks, moving on smoothly.

Most of the questions are cute. Things like: _‘What’s your favourite song off each other’s latest albums?’ (Lauren answering ‘Write On Me,’ while Camila jokes that ‘I’ve actually never listened to any of Lauren’s music’)_ or _‘If you had to switch one body feature with the other person, what would it be?’ (to which Camila had easily answered ‘eyes, definitely her eyes,’ while Lauren had opted for, ‘Camila’s butt, of course’, as if it would even be a question)._

“Okay, this last one’s from _@jaureguistan99_ : who is your current celebrity crush?”

“ _Oh!_ ” Lauren jumps in first, “I’ve got so many – so I’m only going to name like my top five. _Rihanna_ ,” she starts, James cutting in with an _‘Of course’_ and a nodding head, “Zoe Kravitz,” in comes a _whoop_ from somewhere in the audience, “Leo DiCaprio, but like _Romeo and Juliet-Leo_ , Mila Kunis, and maybe like-“ James props his chin expectantly on his hands, staring obviously at Lauren, causing her to chuckle at it, “and _of course_ , James Corden.”

He looks more than pleased at that, exaggeratedly brushing off nothing in particular off his shoulders as the audience laughs and cheers.

“Camila?” he turns to the brown eyed girl once the laughter dies down.

She takes a moment to think, then with the wildest grin, she answers, “ _Mine’s Lauren.”_

_“Camz_ ,” Lauren blushes, stretching out her arm to pull Camila into a side hug, the smaller girl kind of nuzzling her head into the crook of Lauren’s neck, eyes closed in a proud smile, with both the audience and James _aww-_ ing meanwhile.

“Well, that’s all the time we have for Lauren Jauregui and Camila Cabello,” James announces as the crowd quiets down, “Thank you so much for coming on today and performing, ladies,” he says, both Camila and Lauren thanking him back for having them on. He turns straight to the cameras, then: “And after the commercials: _Louis C. K.!”_

-/-

“So how many times are you going to watch _that_ performance?”

“Shut _up,_ ” Camila pushes lightly at her arm, closing the door shut behind them. “But probably only like two or eight times,” she adds, teasing smile on her lips as she plays along.

“Nerd,” Lauren jokes, landing with a muted thud on the cushion-littered couch after she slides her feet out of her heels as Camila heads to her bedroom. “But hurry up and change, Dinah’s blowing up my phone that we’re not even on the way there.”

Camila calls out a distant _‘yeah, yeah’_ , the sound of the metal of hangers sliding against the rods in her closet telling Lauren that she’s rummaging through the heaps of unorganised clothing.

Lauren’s replying the myriad of texts both Dinah and Normani have the group chat spammed with when she hears the intro of _Busta Rhymes’_ verse of _Look At Me Now_ ring out, Camila’s ringtone still absolutely ridiculous to Lauren.

_Eyo Breezy, let me show you how to keep—_

“Canada!” Lauren hears Camila yell out, her brows crinkling as to why the hell Camila just answered the call by yelling that out.

She doesn’t bother wondering too much really. It’s just another quirk of Camila’s that she adores that Lauren adds to the still growing list.

“ _Hey!_ I said so many nice things about you, okay,” Lauren overhears, not on purpose really – Camila just speaks _really_ loud. (It’s an added factor that Camila’s apartment has great acoustics, probably Lauren’s favourite place to jam out besides her own studio room).

There’s a pause where she assumes whoever’s on the other end of the call replies. “You’re an idiot. But what did you think?” Then, in a more hushed voice that doesn’t really work to mute her words given that she’s just a naturally _loud_ person, and anything softer than that is just _normal_ for anyone else: “ _God, yeah –_ she was amazing. No offense, Mendes,” Camila starts, and _right now the ‘Canada’ thing makes sense,_ “but this song beats out ours, in my opinion – _ugh,_ shut _up_ , I told you that in _confidence_ not so that you can use it against me – Yeah, we’re doing Seth Meyers next wee—“ the conversation is cut off when a door clicks shut, Camila likely having entered her bathroom to _finally_ get changed.

Lauren can’t help but grin at what she’d overheard. Camila was obviously talking about their performance and about Lauren, and the narcissist in her bites her lip proudly at Camila’s compliments. She vaguely wonders _what_ Camila had told Shawn _in confidence_ but Lauren doesn’t want to pry, and as much as she itches to know, a small flicker of curiosity gnawing at her, Camila’s not her _girlfriend_ or anything, and Lauren doesn’t have the privilege to know all these things, to know all these little things going on between her and her _totally platonic friend_.

(It’s beginning to sound a lot like jealousy, and they don’t _do_ jealous – _her own rules, she_ knows _–_ and so, she shuts it down before it can really flare up.)

She wonders if Camila’s told Shawn about the two of them yet, that they’re kinda-maybe-might-be dating. Camila’s told Dinah – that Lauren knows and is totally _fine_ with, because as big as a mouth that Dinah has, she knows that she can trust the girl not to let any of this slip. _Hell_ , she hasn’t even told Normani (though from that smirk that she wears when Lauren just mentions Camila in passing, she’s pretty sure Normani knows). It took her a couple of weeks before she finally told Lucy, but when she finally did, she received a punch in the arm from the girl – Lucy more upset that it wasn’t her that made Lauren realise she likes girls too than anything (she’s _always_ been a little narcissistic but that’s probably just another reason why Lauren loves her).

The door clicks open, and Camila’s voice rings out with it.

“Yeah but remember _he_ said that, it wasn’t _me_!”

Camila emerges from the room, sweatpants on her hips and an oversized hoodie covering her body, phone in one hand as the other clutches at a bunch of crumpled up clothes.

_“Here,”_ she mouths, tossing the shirt and sweatpants at Lauren. “You’re going to regret wearing that to movie night,” she reasons, gesturing at her dress when Lauren scrunches her face up at her.

_“What?”_ rings out, the call on speaker. 

“Oh not you,” she directs at her phone, “Lauren’s here.”

_“Oooh-“_

“Shut _up._ ”

_“Hey Lauren!”_ Shawn chimes instead, a soft laugh in his voice as he greets her.

“’Sup, Mendes,” she says back nonchalantly. She doesn’t know the guy personally, doesn’t really know yet what her opinion is of him, just that he and Camila are close enough to stay talking on the phone as she changes outfits.

_“Caught your performance on Corden and shit, you were really amazing!”_ he compliments, and like Camila had mentioned in the interview earlier, he _does_ sound extremely genuine, “ _But Mila on the other hand…”_

“Hey!”

“ _She was just… ehh, I guess.”_

“Okay, good _bye_ , Shawn,” Camila chides, hanging up before Shawn can even defend himself. She turns to Lauren, who’s got the smuggest grin on her face. “Go change,” she orders, hands on her hips, and with the slight frown on her lips, Camila makes the perfect image of an annoyed mother.

“Why’d you hang up!” Lauren says instead, though she does push herself up, taking alolng the clothes Camila had handed her. “I’m beginning to _like_ Shawn,” she says with a smirk, and while that might not be totally true – not yet at least – she’s thoroughly enjoying how annoyed Camila is right now. She’s still weary of Camila’s and Shawn’s _‘friendship’_ , but she pushes that aside right now. There’ll be another time to bring it up.

_“Ugh_ ,” Camila huffs, stomping her foot rather petulantly on the floor, before she starts to head toward the kitchen.

“ _Ngaw, wait, babe,”_ Lauren says and that stops Camila in her tracks. If there’s another thing she’s learned about Camila, it’s that she’s helpless to whenever Lauren calls her _babe._ When she does turn back around, pout still on her lips, but eyebrow arched in question, Lauren says, “Need your help here,” she makes her way over to the other girl, and when they’re face to face, she twists back around pulling her hair to the side. “Unzip me.”

She hears a teasing _‘please would be nice’_ muttered under Camila’s breath, but beside that, the girl doesn’t argue. She feels the backs of Camila’s fingers graze the skin of where her tattoo is etched, her one hand holding the top of the dress as the other pulls the red zipper _down, down, down_.

The cool air runs its way down her back as Camila unzips the dress, but the goosebumps that trail her skin seem to appear for a completely different reason.

Her other hand stays for a moment longer than necessary at the bottom stop, ending right above Lauren’s ass, and she swears she feels shivers running up her spine. She’s hyperaware of everything: of how Camila’s hot breath brushes against the skin on the back of her neck; of how she feels the presence of Camila’s fingers trace back up her spine, of how she swears Camila’s lips are hovering just over her shoulder, of how their bodies are _so close_ but they’re only barely touching; and mainly of how _there’s a fucking buzzing sound coming from the couch where her phone is going off._

Camila peeks over Lauren to glance at the screen. “It’s Mani,” she reads. “Go change,” she tells her, pressing her lips to the bare skin of her shoulder, another wave of shivers tickling her back at the contact, “I’ll stall them before she threatens to kill one of us, or the both of us.”

Lauren practically has to force herself to move, dragging her feet step after step towards the bathroom, where when she finally successfully makes it to – Camila’s voice ringing out through the space greeting Normani in the background – Lauren washes her face of the makeup that was applied earlier in the night. She turns the water to the coldest, splashing it against her face, more to wake herself up from the little trance Camila had pulled her into rather than to actually clean her skin.

Once she’s back out, fresh faced and all changed with her worn-dress slung over her arm, Camila’s already by the door, still on the phone with Normani as she slips her feet into those dark blue pair of Tom’s, a much more comfortable choice as compared to the heels she’d worn earlier.

_“We should go,”_ she mouths, rolling her eyes at the small voices of Normani and Dinah that ring out through the call. “Yeah, yeah – we’re like _five_ minutes away – _Yes,_ for _real_ , Dinah – _No_ , I’m not _just_ leaving, in fact I’m _offended_ you’d even think so, it’s like you don’t even trust me!”

Lauren chuckles quietly meeting Camila by the door as she tries to distract the girls on the other end of the line by turning it against them, the two of them making their way out while Lauren vaguely hears Dinah apologise ( _half-heartedly_ ) about her ( _completely accurate_ ) accusation.

Lauren makes sure that she’s the one driving. She’s seen Camila as a driver when she’s _not_ being rushed, and she’s already bad as it is, and Lauren would honestly like to make it for their movie night in _one piece_. So, Camila slides reluctantly into the passenger seat, mumbling something about how she could get them there much faster, to which Lauren replies that _she_ can get them there _alive_.

Camila just lets out a huff, pout sitting comfortably on her lips.

The soft hums of Lauren’s _‘for the car’_ Spotify playlist whirs in the background, the soothing voice of Paolo Nutini filling up the quiet.

And while it is a comfortable silence, Lauren’s still got a question that she’s been aching to ask.

“So…”

“ _So_ …” Camila repeats playfully, biting down on her grinning lips, looking very much the innocent child.

“I have a question,” Lauren continues, and Camila quirks her brow up at that, suddenly sensing a shift in the mood.

“What’s up?”

“You and Shawn,” she gets out, and just out of the corner of her eye she sees how Camila’s face twists at that, “You guys are really close.”

“ _Yeah_ , we are,” she hears Camila’s voice say, how it drags it out, how it almost sounds unsure and _fuck_ it makes something in Lauren’s stomach jump.

Lauren nods as slowly as Camila had dragged her _‘yeah’_ out. She thinks that maybe if she just keeps nodding, she can shake her brain into forming a sentence that doesn’t sound jealous _per se_ , but still gets her the answers she’s looking for. Her mind comes up with far too many options: _Has anything every happened between the two of you? Does he like you? Have you two ever kissed? Has anythi-_ but she stops herself before she actually voices any of those out, because they’re sounding a lot like _jealousy_ and they don’t _do_ that. ( _They don’t do jealous, they don’t do jealous_ , she repeats, forcing herself to remember this) And so, like the genius she is, she comes up with: “That’s _cool_.”

“That isn’t quite a question,” Camila comments quietly.

“I mean- I don’t want to sound- It’s not that-“ she’s running her fingers furiously on the steering wheel, solely focusing on staring the red light down, willing it to turn green.

“No, we’ve never had anything and we won’t ever. I don’t like him like that,” Camila finally says simply, and Lauren lets out a breath she’s been holding since that first _‘So…’_.

She’s instantly relieved, and if Camila senses how the jealousy leaves Lauren, she doesn’t say anything about that.

Instead, Camila says, “I guess Shawn’s to me like Lucy’s to you.”

“Oh,” Lauren lets out, “Yeah, that makes sense. So, _totally_ platonic,” she says as if to confirm.

Lauren doesn’t know if the comparison Camila makes helps her feel better or makes her feel worse. Her relationship with Lucy is, _well_ , they’ve always been close. But that’s because all _girl friends_ are like that, aren’t they? So she shouldn’t worry about Camila and Shawn, not that she thinks Camila and Shawn have had weekend-long sleepovers and had practiced kissing when they were thirteen, right?

Either way, Lucy and her are the best of friends, emphasis on _friends_ , and Camila knows that, so she tells herself to be reassured by the fact that that’s the extent of her relationship with Shawn.

She turns as she presses lightly on the pedal, flashing Camila a soft smile, who sends one back.

But Lauren turns back to the road too soon that she doesn’t catch how Camila’s smile fades into an unconvinced smile.

And Lauren doesn’t sense anything off with Camila during the movie, doesn’t see that Camila still remains unsure about Lauren’s relationship with Lucy as she clings to Dinah’s side throughout the majority of the film. Lauren doesn’t notice anything, and Camila will make sure that Lauren’s never going to.

Because unlike Lauren, Camila will keep it to herself, will let it bottle up, and will let it gnaw at her with no intention of trying to stop it.

It’s just another thing Lauren can add to the list of how opposite the two of them are.

**Author's Note:**

> hello, if you recognise this work from wattpad it's because i brought it over to ao3 bc why not right?   
> so kudos and subscribe and all that jazz!  
> also! if you're too lazy to wait for me to update it here, you can head over to this fic on wattpad (under the same name by 'arexnna') and read it there instead! if you do, don't forget to vote and stuffs. love yall for reading this trash tbh


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